Second Screen Shopping Says Bye Buy to Retail Endcaps and Displays

A fellow Trojan and one of my favorite group members, Kristal Shipp, sent our group a link of Gary Vaynerchuck’s #AskGaryVee Espisode 45. Apparently when he’s not throwing jabs and right hooks, Gary V. hosts an online segment in which he charismatically answers marketing questions from people on social media. In the first part of this particular episode, Mr. Vee talks about an interesting change in the retail landscape. Twitter user @JoeBrennan asked, “What trends should brick and mortar stores be paying attention to over the next 12 to 18 months?” And Gary’s response was pretty innovative and awesome.

Before I expose you to it, I’ll rant a little about my first job out of college because it’s relevant to Gary’s point. In 2008 I worked as a Chain Territory Manager for Southern Wine and Spirits (SWS), which was at the time, the largest wine and liquor distributor in the United States with roughly 64% of the market. SWS distributed wine, spirits, beer and some non-alcoholic mixers and beverages. The work was tough. I worked early mornings selling in displays, encouraging large retail chain stores (Ralphs, Vons, Food 4 Less, etc.) to order more stock of the items in my portfolio and building displays using tens and hundreds of heavy wine cases. But the great part of it was the fact that I had first knowledge of awesome wine and liquor sales and deals. Hint hint, the holidays, what we called “O-N-D,” are riddled with amazing wine and liquor sales and shiny gift packs with classy freebies like custom drink ware.

Enter Gary Vee. In Episode 45. He talks about the idea of “The Second Screen Shopping Opportunity” in reference to the television and cell phone, and he explains that while most people think the cell phone is the Second Screen, the television is actually slowly but surely becoming the Second Screen to the cell phone because we’re so consumed checking social media, texting, talking, playing games and everything else. Sir Vee then relays this to an experience he had in the grocery store where he saw a customer go from one aisle, around an endcap full of product and into the next aisle without looking up from there phone. Having worked in the retail space for nearly five-and-a-half years, I can tell you that endcaps and standalone displays in grocery stores are a big deal to companies, and they pay a lot of money for placement in these areas. That way you can grab your Tide, Pringles, Manischewitz Wine or Lays potato chips easily without having to go down and entire aisle searching for them.

But what good are these lavish endcaps and displays if the customer doesn’t notice them because they’re busy playing Tsum Tsum or checking in on Facebook? Gary brings up the point about Second Screen shopping in this situation utilizing geo location, which in short means that if you’re shopping at your local Ralph’s market, you would receive a little update on your phone similar to a push notification that contains a coupon or special sales information about a product that is sold in that store. Thinking about this in the general retail space that includes all products from diapers to toilet paper, steak and celery, I was completely overwhelmed, but Gary dabbles a little in talking about the wine world, an idea that I think would be groundbreaking for wine and spirits brands.

Allow me to utilize a famous Golden Girls euphemism. Picture it: you’re shopping at your local market, and you need to buy a bottle of vodka for a soiree you’re hosting next weekend. You’re not particularly brand loyal, but you prefer to not buy the store brand or Popov (like you had to in your starving college student days). You’re standing in the aisle browsing when up on your cell phone screen pops a coupon for $3 off Absolut Vodka. In addition, Absolut is already on sale, so it’s like you’re getting a double deal. Are you going to then reach for the Smirnoff bottle that is regular price? Remember that you’re not particularly brand loyal.

Of course this comparison does not work if we’re talking about a sale on Smirnoff when you’re planning on buying Grey Goose vodka because the price points between the two are quite staggered. It also wouldn’t entice you to buy a bottle of Jose Cuervo tequila instead of Patron. I said it was a good idea, not magic.

This concept of Second Screen shopping can really have an impact in sales among competitors who, in the past, spent time and dollars on shelf space, endcaps and display locations on monthly planners. Even training has been based around these elements. SWS spent time training its staff on the typical shopper: a 5’5’ right-handed woman shopping for an entire household. This meant that the most desirable location for products was on a shelf at 5’5 eye-level with multiple facings. Second Screen shopping sort of throws these principles out the window because if you have a coupon on your phone, much like if you’re holding one in real life, you’re going to be looking for that specific brand or product, and you’re going to grab it whether it’s on the top shelf, middle shelf or bottom shelf. It’s taking brand ambiguous shoppers and giving them an immediate reason to buy Svedka Vodka, Robert Mondavi Cabernet or Wild Horse Pinot Noir.

I’m interested to hear readers’ thoughts on this concept. Like I said, when I think about all the products in a grocery store, Second Screen shopping seems extraordinarily overwhelming and even annoying if I think about having to delete or reject push notifications for anchovies, motor oil and bananas (I’m allergic). At the same time, who doesn’t love a good deal, and who doesn’t love to save money? If done right and with moderation considerate of consumers, this idea can be great for both consumers and companies.