This is Philter Retail's synopsis of the Retail Advertising Council's Symposium from May 2011 in Toronto. It looks at the Canadian retail landscape as retailers and manufacturers move from flyers to digital outreach.

1. A SYNOPSIS OF THE TORONTO
RAC SYMPOSIUM PHILTER RETAIL INC.
MAY 4, 2011

2. 4 YEARS AGO WHEN WE FIRST ATTENDED
THIS EVENT, THE SPEAKERS WERE SHARING
TOPICS AND CASE STUDIES ON FLYER
DISTRIBUTION AND REACH. WE WERE TALK-
ING ABOUT PRINTING AND REACH. AND THE
MENTION OF DIGITAL WASN’T SOMETHING
THAT TOUCHED THE LIVES OF THE PEOPLE IN
THIS PARTICULAR ROOM. THIS MONTH’S
CONFERENCE COULDN’T HAVE BEEN MORE
DIFFERENT, WITH LARGE PRINTERS LIKE
TRANSCONTINTENTAL GIVING TALKS ON
SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY AND OTHERS
SPEAKING ABOUT SHOPPERS AND MOBILE.

3. PRINT MAY NOT BE DEAD,
AS WE WE ASSURED MANY
TIMES, BUT IT’S CERTAINLY
BEING AUGMENTED IN THE
MARKETING PLANS AND
BUDGETS OF MAJOR RETAIL-
ERS ACROSS CANADA.

4. KEYNOTE:
PARTNERS IN CHANGE –
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
AND MARKETING

5. THERE’S A NEW DEFINITION OF POS:
POINT OF SERVICE.
RETAILERS MUST START TO USE
TECHNOLOGY TO IMPROVE THE
SHOPPING EXPERIENCE. THIS MEANS
USING A POS SYSTEM TO TRACK AND
MANAGE CUSTOMERS, PRODUCTS AND
STORE INFORMATION.

6. WE’VE HEARD IT MANY TIMES BEFORE:
OUR SHOPPERS HAVE MORE AND
BETTER TECHNOLOGY THAN WE DO.
SO HOW DO WE EXPECT JUNIOR AND
SENIOR STAFF ALIKE TO BE ABLE TO
PROVIDE A SERVICE WHEN CUSTOMERS
KNOW MORE ABOUT THE PRODUCT (AND
THE COMPETITION) THAN STAFF DO?

7. AND MUCH OF THIS SHOPPER
INTELLIGENCE IS AROUND PRICE.
THE PHRASE “PRICE TRANSPARENCY”
IS EVERYWHERE. RETAILERS MUST
COME UP WITH A REASON FOR
PEOPLE TO SHOP THEIR STORE.
AND IT COMES DOWN TO A UNIQUE
IN-STORE EXPERIENCE.

8. THE AMAZON EFFECT:
YOU MUST PREVENT YOUR
STORE FROM GETTING
HIJACKED BY OTHER
RETAILERS, OR YOUR
BRICKS AD MORTAR
STORE WILL BECOME AN
EXPENSIVE SHOWROOM.

9. SO HOW IS TECHNOLOGY
CHANGING RETAILING?
THIS TIME LAST YEAR ONLY
64% OF CANADIAN RETAILERS
HAD A SOCIAL MEDIA
STRATEGY, TODAY IT’S CLOSER
TO 85-90%. WHY?
MOBILE.

10. SO WHAT DOES THIS
ALL MEAN?
OPERATIONS AND MARKETING
MUST BE BETTER TIED TOGETHER
TO BE ABLE TO DELIVER ON AN
EXPERIENCE.
THE CMO HAS TO SIT AT THE TABLE
WITH CIO AND BE INVOLVED IN
DRIVING CONVERSATIONS ABOUT
TECHNOLOGY.

11. RETAILERS HAVE TO LOOK AT
MARKETING, TECHNOLOGY
AND BUSINESS OPERATIONS
AS A WHOLE.
AND WE MUST IMPLEMENT
TECHNOLOGY THAT CONNECTS
WITH CUSTOMERS TO MAKE
THEIR LIVES EASIER.

12. HOW DO WE PROVE VALUE?
FIND MORE RELEVANT WAYS TO
MEASURE SUCCESS. IT’S NOT JUST
ABOUT ROI OR BASKET SIZE. IT’S
ABOUT CREATING INSIGHTS BASED
ON THE MANY SHOPPERS IN OUR
STORES. 40% OF DRUG/GROCERY
SHOPPERS ARE BUYING FOR
PEOPLE OUTSIDE OF THE FAMILY:
ELDERLY PARENTS OR KIDS IN
UNIVERSITY. HOW DO WE MEASURE
AND MARKET TO THIS BEHAVIOUR?

13. UNDERSTANDING OUR SHOPPER IS
KEY. AND THIS GOES BEYOND OUT-
DATED CRM SYSTEMS. FACEBOOK
IS THE MOST UP-TO-DATE CRM IN
THE WORLD, IN A SENSE. IT’S
CURRENT, IN SOME CASES, UP TO
THE HOUR. HOW CAN RETAILERS
TAP INTO THIS WITH THEIR SOCIAL
MEDIA STRATEGY?

14. LET’S START THINKING ABOUT
USING SHOPPER INSIGHTS
BASED ON REAL TIME SALES TO
DRIVE MARKETING PROGRAMS.
BUT THIS CAN ONLY HAPPEN IF
WE USE THE I.T. GROUP AS PART
OF THE EXECUTIONAL ARM OF
MARKETING.
WE SHOULD ALL BE WORKING
TOWARD A SINGLE VERSION OF
THE TRUTH.

15. TO STAY AHEAD OF
SHOPPERS WE MUST
DO WHAT’S NEXT.
THE TECHNOLOGY OF TODAY
IS NOT THE TECHNOLOGY OF
TOMORROW.

16. BREAKOUT SESSION
THE SOCIAL SHOPPER:
A LENS INTO THE FUTURE OF
RETAIL EXPERIENCES.
STEVE MAST, DELVINIA

17. WITH SO MANY DIGITAL
OPTIONS, WHAT SHOULD
RETAILERS AND
MANUFACTURERS DO?
FIRST – UNDERSTAND WHAT
TECHNOLOGY YOUR SHOP-
PERS ARE ACTUALLY USING
AND HOW THEY’RE USING IT.

18. 75% OF CANADIANS HAVE
MADE AN ONLINE PURCHASE
IN THE LAST 2 MONTHS. BUT IT
WAS AN ONLINE DOWNLOAD
OF APPS, MUSIC AND BOOKS.
MOST SHOPPERS ARE USING
DIGITAL FOR RESEARCH BUT
MOBILE IS STARTING TO
CHANGE THIS WITH SHOPPERS
NOW RESEARCHING PRODUCTS
ON THE WAY TO THE STORE OR
IN THE AISLE.

19. 53% LOOK ON SOCIAL NETWORKS
AND ONLINE FOR COUPONS
AND PROMOS.
65% OF CANADIANS LOOK
ONLINE FOR PEER REVIEWS
BEFORE BUYING.
SURPRISINGLY, THEY ARE NOT
GOING ONLINE TO FIND RETAILER
ADDRESSES OR PHONE NUMBERS
BECAUSE TOO FEW RETAILERS
HAVE MOBILE WEBSITES.

20. SHOPPERS AND MOBILE:
MOBILE IS ACTING AS A BRIDGE
BETWEEN THE ONLINE AND OFFLINE
WORLDS.
1 IN 5 CANADIANS ARE SEARCHING
FOR PRODUCT INFO WHILE THEY ARE
STANDING IN THE AISLES.
IN 2010 25% OF SHOPPERS USED
THEIR PHONE TO SEARCH FOR PRICES–
UP FROM 12% IN 2009.

21. SHOPPERS AND SOCIAL MEDIA:
SHOPPERS ARE LOOKING FOR
DEALS AND PROMOTIONS ON YOUR
SOCIAL SITES.
THEY WANT TO SHARE THOUGHTS AND
IDEAS WITH YOU. AND THEY WANT
YOUR FEEDBACK ON THEIR FEEDBACK.
AKA: A CONVERSATION.
THEY WANT BETTER INTEGRATION
ACROSS ALL DIGITAL MEDIA NOT A
SEPERATE MESSAGES ON FACEBOOK,
TWITTER, MOBILE AND WEBSITE
PROPERTIES.

22. SHOPPERS AND QR CODES:
4 OUT OF 5 SMARTPHONE USERS KNOW WHAT A
QR CODE IS, VERSUS 2 OUT OF 5 A YEAR AGO.
40% HAVE A READER INSTALLED. BUT A URL IS
STILL THEIR #1 WAY TO ACCESS CONTENT.
22% ARE INTERESTED IN OR HAVE USED QR
CODES BUT THEY WANT REAL VALUE ATTACHED
TO THEM, NOT JUST A VIDEO OR LINK.
INSTRUCTIONS ARE CRITICAL. DON’T MAKE
SHOPPERS GUESS HOW TO USE IT.

23. SHOPPERS ARE ASKING FOR:
1. COLLABORATION WITH RETAILERS AND
MANUFACTURERS
2. THEY WANT TO INFLUENCE IN-STORE
EXPERIENCES
3. REATILERS TO ANTICIPATE WHAT’S NEXT.
LET THEM ACT AS A LENS INTO THE
RETAIL EXPERIENCE.

24. IT’S TIME FOR RETAILERS TO LEARN
FROM THE MISTAKES OF THE MUSIC
AND PUBLISING INDUSTRIES. WE
STILL HAVE THE TIME TO PUT A GREAT
STRATEGY TOGETHER TO MAKE SURE
WE’RE WORKING WITH SHOPPERS
AND CONSUMERS AND NOT FIGHT-
ING AGAINST THEM.

25. BREAKOUT SESSION
PHYGITAL MARKETING
DR. JOHN REEVES, KYP

26. PHYGITAL IS NOT JUST A
STRANGE WORD. IT’S A
DISCIPLINE THAT SEEKS TO
CREATE A SEAMLESS LINK
FROM THE PRINT WORLD
TO THE DIGITAL WORLD.

27. AND IT’S A DISCIPLINE
THAT IS STRIVING TO
UNDERSTAND MORE
FULLY THE NATURE OF THE
INCREASINGLY DIGITIZED
CONSUMER. IT’S KEY TO
APPLY THE EXPECTATIONS
OF THE CONSUMER AND
THE SHOPPER TO THE
CUSTOMER PATHWAY.

28. THERE IS A SEQUENTIAL
NATURE TO HOW CHANNELS
INTERACT WITH ONE
ANOTHER, AND EACH
ONE HAS ITS OWN ROLE.
THE PHYSICAL CHANNEL IS
THE MOST EMOTIONAL ONE.

29. BUT THE CUSTOMER
NEEDS TO KNOW WHY
SHE’S BEING SENT
ONLINE. IT’S CRITICAL
TO ESTABLISH A CLEAR
REASON WITH YOUR
PHYSICAL COMPONENT.

30. IT’S A FACT THAT HUMANS
LIKE TO START WITH WHAT
THEY KNOW.
IN ORDER TO USHER THEM
THROUGH AN UNFAMILIAR
PROCESS, YOU’RE GOING
TO NEED TO MAKE THEM
COMFORTABLE FIRST.

31. AND SO TO MAKE THE LINK
BETWEEN THESE WORLDS,
WE USE BRIDGING
TECHNOLOGIES, LIKE
RFID, QR CODES, DVDs
(NOT SO MUCH ANYMORE),
AND NOW WEB KEYS.

32. A WEB KEY IS AN
EASY WAY TO GET
PEOPLE ONLINE,
AND TO VERY SPE-
CIFIC CONTENT. IT LAUNCHES
THE USER’S BROWSER WHEN
IT’S INSERTED INTO THE USB
PORT, SO NAVIGATION AND LONG
URLS TO TYPE IN ARE NO LONGER
A CONCERN.

33. WHAT’S ALSO
GREAT ABOUT
THIS TACTIC IS
THAT IT TAKES
SEARCH ENGINES OUT OF THE
EQUATION, WHICH MEANS YOU
HAVE A LOWER RISK OF LOSING
THE CUSTOMER THROUGH
THE PROCESS.

34. THE WEB KEY SERVES AS A
PHYSICAL HOMEPAGE THAT
LAUNCHES YOU TO THE DIGITAL
SPACE. IT’S PERSONALIZED,
IT HAS COMPELLING METRICS
ATTACHED TO IT, AND IT REDUC-
ES PASSWORD REQUIREMENTS,
FUNCTIONING AS A GREAT
POINT OF SERVICE.

35. AND LIKE ANY GREAT DIRECT
MAIL PIECE, WITH DIMENSIONALITY
COMES RESPONSE. YOUR
PHYSICAL PIECE SHOULD
REPRESENT AS MUCH AS DOES
YOUR DIGITAL PIECE. THE MORE
VALUABLE CONTENT YOU PUT IN
YOUR PRINT PIECE, THE BETTER.
THE POINT IS TO ENGAGE IN
THE PHYSICAL WORLD, AND
CURATE THE INFORMATION IN
THE DIGITAL WORLD.

36. KEYNOTE
FROM FLYERS TO FACEBOOK
BRAD MURPHY
DARRELL COOK

37. THE WAYS IN WHICH WE
REACH OUT TO SHOPPERS IS
EVOLVING. THE FLYER HASN’T
GONE AWAY, BUT IT CANNOT
BE A RETAILER’S ONLY WAY
OF DELIVERING CONTENT.

38. THINK OF THE PAPER FLYER
AS ANCHOR TENANT.
AND NOW DETERMINE HOW
EVERY OTHER COMMUNICATION
TOOL CAN HELP SUPPORT AND
MAKE THAT PAPER FLYER WORK
HARDER.

39. RETAIL COMMUNICATION
BREAKDOWN LOOKS LIKE THIS:
STORE COMMERCE = IN-STORE MARKETING AND POP
ECOMMERCE = SEARCH AND WEB
MOBILE COMMERCE = APPS AND AN OPTIMIZED SITE
INTERACTIVE COMMERCE = VIDEO AND AUDIO
SOCIAL COMMERCE = TWITTER, FACEBOOK AND BLOGS

40. NO MATTER WHAT TOOLS YOU
CHOOSE, RETAILERS SHOULD
HAVE SUBJECT MATTER EX-
PERTS THAT CAN KEEP YOU
INFORMED AND UP TO DATE.
ON THE LATEST FEATURES
AND FUNCTIONALITY.

41. AND WHERE DOES ALL OF THIS
CONTENT COME FROM?
THERE CAN BE RETAILER-BRANDED
CONTENT.
VENDOR SUPPLIED CONTENT THAT IS
PRODUCT- OR BRAND-SPECIFIC.
USER-GENERATED CONTENT – CREATED
BY YOUR SHOPPERS AND CONSUMERS.

42. SO RETAILERS, IT’S TIME
TO ASK YOURSELVES,
“HOW AGILE IS
MY CONTENT?”
HOW CAN A PRODUCT
OFFERING LIVE OFFLINE
AND ONLINE?

43. AND NOW, HOW DO YOU
MEASURE SUCCESS?
RETAILERS UNDERSTAND
PRINT FLYERS. AFTER ALL
THESE YEARS, YOU KNOW
HOW MUCH IT COSTS, HOW IT
WORKS AND HOW SHOPPERS
WILL ACT AND REACT.

44. BUT NOT ALL SHOPPERS CAN
BE FOUND WITH A FLYER.
RETAILERS SHOULD START DEVELOPING
A CONTENT PREFERENCE SYSTEM. FEED
SHOPPERS THE CONTENT THEY WANT
THE WAY THEY WANT IT AND BASED ON
THEIR CURRENT NEEDS. HAVING A RICH
UP-TO-DATE CRM DATABASE ALLOWS
YOU TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THE SHOP-
PER IS BUYING AND HOW THEY WANT
TO INTERACT WITH YOUR STORE.

45. IF YOU’RE NOT ALREADY,
IT’S TIME TO START TESTING
AND LEARNING. FIGURE OUT
WHAT A MOBILE NUMBER IS
WORTH TO YOU. WHAT ABOUT
A LIKE ON FACEBOOK? AND IN
THE BIGGER PICTURE, WHAT
IS EACH CHANNEL WORTH?
FROM HERE YOU CAN MAKE
THE RIGHT INVESTMENT
FOR YOUR STORE AND YOUR
CUSTOMERS.

46. KEYNOTE
THE CHANGING FACE
OF RETAIL IN CANADA
JOHN TORELLA
BILL GOWN
JACK BAILLIE
ELIZABETH DUTTON

47. WHAT ARE THE BIG
TRENDS IN THE RETAIL
SECTOR RIGHT NOW?
CUSTOMERS ARE MORE KNOWLEDGE-
ABLE THAN EVER BEFORE.
PRICE IS SO TRANSPARENT THAT IT’S
DRIVING DOWN MARGINS.
TRADITIONAL MARKETING AND
ADVERTISING BUDGETS ARE STILL
THERE BUT WE MUST ALSO FIND
BUDGETS FOR DIGITAL AND SOCIAL.

48. WHAT DOES THIS
ALL MEAN?
RETAILERS AND CONSUM-
ERS ARE FEELING THAT
THERE IS A LOT OF CHOICE.
BUT THIS ALSO LEADS TO A
LOT OF CONFUSION.

49. RETAILERS ARE SAYING
WE HAVE TO BE MORE
CUSTOMER-CENTRIC BUT
THIS IS RHETORIC, NOT
REALITY. YOU NEED TO
UNDERSTAND YOUR CUS-
TOMER BETTER SO YOU CAN
EMBRACE THE DIFFERENCES
IN GEOGRAPHY AND DEMO-
GRAPHICS AND BETTER MEET
THEIR NEEDS.

50. SUCCESSFUL RETAIL
COMMUNICATIONS
SHOULD BE LINKED TO:
BUILDING SALES GROWTH AND
BUILDING THE BRAND VALUE.

51. LOOK AT THE BRAND
EXPERIENCE. IS IT
CONSISTENT?
A LOT OF THIS EXPERIENCE IS
DELIVERED ON THE FLOOR. SO HOW
DO YOU MAKE EMPLOYEES FEEL A
PART OF THE PROCESS? BEFORE
YOU TELL YOUR STORY EXTERNALLY
MAKE SURE YOU TELL IT INTERNALLY.

52. BREAKOUT SESSION
AIR MILES’ LEVERAGING
SOCIAL MEDIA AND MOBILE
ERIN WALDIE

53. GETTING STARTED ON A SOCIAL
MEDIA PLAN CAN BE A DAUNTING
TASK. SO IT’S BEST TO FOLLOW
SOME TRIED AND TRUE RULES
AND USE FORRESTER’S POST:

54. PEOPLE
START RESEARCHING HOW PEOPLE
INTERACT WITH YOUR BRAND.
HOW ARE THEY TALKING ABOUT
YOUR BRAND NOW?

55. OBJECTIVES
CLEARLY DEFINE YOUR OBJECTIVES.
IS IT FEEDBACK? IS IT TALKING
TO PEOPLE? IS IT TO BUILD A
COMMUNITY? THEN FIND WAYS
TO RESPOND TO AND EMBRACE
THE FEEDBACK FROM YOUR
COMMUNITY.

56. STRATEGY
NOW LOOK AT HOW YOUR PART-
NERS (INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL)
CAN PLAY A ROLE.

57. TECHNOLOGY
THE AGE OLD QUESTION:
JOIN OR BUILD? ARE YOU JOINING
A CONVERSATION OR WILL YOU
BUILD AN EXCLUSIVE PLACE FOR
YOUR FANS TO INTERACT?

58. DURING YOUR RESEARCH STAGE,
ASK MEMBERS AND PROSPECTIVE
MEMBERS WHAT TYPES OF CON-
TENT THEY WOULD BE WILLING
TO SHARE.
AND THEN GET OUT THERE AND
START TO TEST YOUR IDEAS.
AIRMILES STARTED WITH A “SHARE
YOUR MEMORIES” PROMO BY
SIMPLY CREATING DIGITAL PROMOS
AND MAKING THEM SOCIAL.

59. THEY CREATED A LINK BETWEEN
SOCIAL ACTIVITY AND OFFLINE
ACTIVITY BY USING THE SAME
LOYALTY NUMBER FROM USERS’
CARDS AS THEIR LOG-IN ON
THE SITE. THE RESULTS: 10,000
MEMBERS SIGNED UP IN THE
FIRST 5 DAYS.

60. THE PREDICTION AT
AIRMILES: IN 1-2 YEARS
MOBILE BROWSING
WILL START TO EXCEED
DESKTOP BROWSING.
BUT ARE RETAILERS AND
SHOPPERS WANTING THE
SAME RESULTS?

61. RETAILERS WANT:
IMPRESSIONS TO DRIVE
TO WEBSITES.
RELEVANCY TO DRIVE
TO IMMEDIATE OFFERS
IN STORE.
REVENUE.

62. CONSUMERS WANT:
UTILITY. MAKE IT USEFUL
FOR ME.
CONVENIENCE. MAKE IT
EASY FOR ME TO USE.
DEALS. GIVE ME VALUE.

63. AIRMILES’ GENERAL
PHILOSOPHY:
THINK BIG.
START SMALL.
SCALE FAST.

64. THE EVENT ITSELF WAS A PLEASANT
SURPRISE. GONE ARE THE DAYS OF
RETAILERS AND MANUFACTURERS
WONDERING WHEN TO TAKE THE
DIGITAL AND SOCIAL LEAP. THE SENSE
IN THE ROOM WAS THAT WE’VE
ALL STARTED TO TEST IDEAS AND
STRATEGIES THAT ARE RELEVANT TO
OUR BUSINESS AND MARKETING
OBJECTIVES. TRADITIONAL PRINT AND
FULFILLMENT VENDORS ALL OFFER
SOCIAL/MOBILE DISTRIBUTION.
AND CONTENT CREATORS ARE TALK-
ING ABOUT HOW TO SELL A RETAILER’S
PRODUCT ACROSS ONLINE AND
OFFLINE TOUCHPOINTS.

65. BUT THE REAL STRUGGLE NOW IS
HOW DO WE STAY ONE STEP AHEAD
OF OUR SHOPPERS AND CUSTOM-
ERS? HOW DO WE GIVE THEM WHAT
THEY WANT, WHEN THEY WANT
IT? AND HOW DO WE FIND THE RE-
SOURCES – BOTH TIME AND MON-
EY – TO DO THIS WELL AND IN ADDI-
TION TO TRADITIONAL MARKETING
AND ADVERTISING.
WE’RE LOOKING FORWARD TO SEE-
ING HOW THIS YEAR CHANGES THE
CANADIAN RETAIL LANDSCAPE AND
ARE ANTICIPATING A YEAR OF IN-
NOVATION, SOME RISK TAKING AND
A LOT OF SUCCESS STORIES.

66. PHILTER RETAIL INC.
167 KING STREET EAST, SECOND FLOOR
TORONTO, ONTARIO, M5A 1J4
416.365.0460
www.philterretail.com
www.unphilteredblog.com
@philterstory