Award offers insight into marketing push

Wal-Mart’s increased emphasis on consumer insights, which surfaced two years ago, has resulted in The NPD Group being recognized as the syndicated supplier of the year for a department called, “insights and customer strategy.”

Accolades for supplier of the year are common throughout the retailer industry, but are typically bestowed on merchandise suppliers. In Wal-Mart’s case, the award received by The NPD Group underscores the important role now occupied by providers of consumer insights that follows a major shift several years ago that saw Wal-Mart adopt a customer segmentation strategy.

That shift followed a major overhaul of Wal-Mart’s marketing department that infused the organization with executives from the consumer packaged goods industry where customer segmentation strategies are commonplace. As Wal-Mart sought to better understand the behaviors and motivations of the customers shopping its stores, supplier teams dedicated to the Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club accounts increased their research capabilities and information providers developed new products.

That was the case with The NPD Group which created a customized Consumer Tracking Service for Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club, which provides the retailers and select suppliers with an extensive view of what’s happening within and across categories based on identified consumer segments.