Moving Product in Today’s World: Q&A With Adam Brown, Sircle Media

Consumer purchasing behavior has greatly evolved in today’s retail landscape, placing a greater emphasis on in-store visits and digital platforms provided by retailers.

During an education session at the Summer Fancy Food Show on Tuesday, June 25 at 11:45 a.m., industry experts in social media, retail media, and digital couponing/redemption will provide insights on how to effectively generate awareness, consideration, and trial for CPG brands in the marketplace.

The session, titled "Navigating Retail Velocity in 2024: Strategies for Product Movement in Today's Marketplace,” will be hosted by Sircle Media founder and president Adam Brown, Go to Aisle founder Chris Tiffin, Elite Commerce Group founder and CEO Eric Martindale, and Actual Veggies co-founder and co-CEO Hailey Swartz.

Brown spoke with SFA News Daily about what attendees can expect.

How can social media be a good tool for specialty food businesses looking to boost sales?

Social networks are the best vehicle for creating awareness, consideration, and trial at retail. It is a mission-critical outgoing communications channel, as well as an arena for a dialogue with prospects and customers that cannot be ignored.

If a brand wants to make people aware of who they are, what they sell, why it matters, how it is different, and where they can buy it, then social networks are the platforms to do so.   

What mistakes do specialty businesses make when trying to market themselves on social media?

Brands often fall into the following traps:

• They pay too much attention to followers and not enough attention to the story they are trying to tell.

• They are too quick to hire B-level agencies (thinking that is what you do, right?) who take their money and produce poor results.

• They don't leverage tools to ensure they reach audiences, i.e. do not use influencers or paid social to get messages in front of the right eyeballs.

How are customers in 2024 shopping differently than in the past?

Customers are not purchasing food and beverage products directly from brands on their websites. Instead, they are either:

• Going to retail stores more for discovery and to avoid shipping costs,

• Ordering online and having it delivered (i.e, Instacart) or ordering online and then picking it up in-store, or even ordering online for curbside pickup, often referred to as "Clicks to Bricks,"

• Or, they are ordering on Amazon where they have a Prime membership and don't have to worry about paying for shipping or trying to reach a minimum spend threshold to avoid paying for shipping.

Armed with this information, brands need to think more about retail-first tactics including social media. Additionally, they need to leverage platforms like Aisle, Vizer, or WeStock, and/or participate in retail media buying rather than spend time on their DTC business.

Do you have any advice for businesses looking to succeed in an industry that continues to emphasize an omnichannel experience?

Think more holistically and don't get so cute about where you think the best margins are. Think about your target consumers and where they are, then meet them there.

What are you most excited to discuss during the event?

I want brands to understand the tools at their disposal and how to move their brand forward in this new environment in which we find ourselves. It is important to embrace it and run toward it.