You are what you buy

Using grocery purchase signals to fuel deeper connections with audiences

Grocery shopping—the food we put on our tables—is a rich cultural signal. At the 2024 Cannes Lions Festival, a panel discussion presented by Kroger and GroupM explored how grocery shopping behaviors reveal deeper insights into consumer lifestyles, aspirations, and life stages.

Moderated by Cara Pratt, SVP of Kroger Precision Marketing, the panel featured Kevin Dunn, VP of Retail and CPG Sales at LiveRamp, and Nancy Hall, North America CEO, Mindshare.

The session highlighted the importance of retail purchase data in creating more meaningful connections with audiences and showcased how brands can leverage this information to enhance their marketing strategies.

Retail sales reveal unique consumer insights

The session began with Cara Pratt introducing the concept of retail data as a profound cultural indicator. "Brands are competing in categories that are more stratified than ever, but shopping behaviors are revealing lifestyles and aspirations and life stages more meaningfully than demographics alone," Pratt stated. This sets the stage for a new age of marketing where understanding consumer behavior at the purchase level becomes crucial.

Nancy Hall provided a practical example: "We know from Kroger that consumers who buy pasta sauce also buy Kroger private label beef. This insight allows us to reach those consumers with personalized lasagna recipes."

Hall also brought up the use of retail data for non-endemic brands, those that do not sell directly in stores. She cited the example of how an auto brand could use grocery purchase data to reach consumers likely in the market for an SUV.

"Retail media data is impactful for non-endemic brands because it provides insights into consumer behavior that can be leveraged across various categories," Hall said. This approach opens up new opportunities for brands to engage with their target audiences in unique ways.

Breaking-down marketing silos to drive personalization

The panelists discussed the future of data and personalization, emphasizing the need for marketing practices to evolve. Pratt pointed out, "Consumers want convenience, and to deliver relevant content, we need to personalize experiences."

Hall added that this requires a shift in how agencies and brands plan and execute their strategies. "Commerce can't be considered the last mile; it extends across the full funnel. This requires a huge organizational shift for all of us," she noted.

Kevin Dunn discussed LiveRamp's role in connecting the digital marketing world and facilitating enhanced collaboration between brands and retailers. "Brands have a huge appetite for retail data, and retailers have a very rich understanding of consumers," Dunn noted.

He highlighted the importance of breaking down silos within organizations to apply insights. "Retailers need to create cross-organizational insights which help drive personalization, enabling us to understand consumer behaviors both on and offsite."

Collaborative approach to better consumer connections

The panelists emphasized the value of integrating retail insights with first-party data through clean rooms. "We partner with companies like LiveRamp and utilize clean rooms so that we can bring in our brands' first-party data and partners like retail media," Hall explained.

This approach allows for the creation of more detailed consumer profiles and personalized messaging.

Dunn underscored the importance of privacy-focused collaboration in the data-driven marketing landscape, "No one data owner will have everything they need to know. The golden age of collaboration is here, and it's only going to happen if we all work together." He stressed the need for standardized insights and a unified approach to leveraging data across various platforms and partners.

A new era of marketing

The "You Are What You Buy" panel at Cannes Lions 2024 showcased the transformative potential of retail purchase data in marketing. By integrating retail data with first-party data, breaking down organizational silos, and embracing collaboration, brands can create more relevant and impactful marketing strategies.

As the industry continues to evolve, leveraging these insights will be key to building deeper connections with consumers and driving business success.