Shopper marketing isn't about finding new ways to reach consumers but about finding new ways to meet their needs.....

Shopper marketing is about the "power of the retail environment"; the sea change in perception within the marketing community that has led to the store being viewed as a brand-building venue; the trend among retailers to build their own brands by taking greater control of the messages presented in their stores; the resultant move among product manufacturers to align their own marketing strategies "to work through the voice of the retailer"; and the realignment of traditional category-based merchandising to reflect shopping behavior and product usage.

The store is the final frontier of mass media, the place where brands can reach the tens of millions of consumers that television and other channels used to deliver before the days of media fragmentation, active consumer media consumption and personalization.

The shopper marketing industry conversation has moved beyond that concept to encompass a deeper understanding of the store as an ideal venue for connecting with consumers in timely, relevant ways that can't be delivered through mass media.