Winning the Target healthcare guest
CHICAGO — All too often retailers fall short when it comes to meeting the healthcare needs of their consumers, who not only demand more from their overall shopping experience, but also are increasingly looking for ways to curb rising healthcare costs and live healthier lives. Today’s successful retailers are working to strike a balance of value and quality, and are developing innovative solutions to strengthen their foothold along the frontlines of U.S. healthcare. In short, the winners are delivering a valuable healthcare experience. To share insights on how suppliers can work with Target to leverage unique insights and create a behavior-changing program within the healthcare category, industry executives Heather Campain, director of category insights and shopper marketing for the Target team at Johnson & Johnson, and Heidi Froseth, SVP Target team leader at Catapult, will co-host “Inspiring and Winning the Target Guest in Healthcare — A Differentiated Approach” on Oct. 9, at the 2013 Shopper Marketing Expo, here, at the Navy Pier. The session is just one part of a high-impact program of speakers and topics lined up for the event, now in its 19th year.
The seasoned industry leaders will draw from their firsthand experience in working with Target to share how to successfully partner with the retailer’s merchandising and marketing teams for collaboration and wins, and they will help attendees better understand the importance of knowing where she shops for her — and her family’s — healthcare needs and how she makes her buying decisions.
There is no doubt that Target is striving to create a healthcare experience that helps guests achieve their health and well-being goals, and, as a retailer serving millions of guests, Target has learned many lessons that can help inform consumer healthcare strategies.
During a special announcement in early September to unveil its new Target Simplicity Challenge, José Barra, SVP health and beauty at Target, said, “As a retailer with more than 350,000 employees that operates stores across the nation with retail clinics, pharmacies and optical [locations], the growing dialogue about the need to transform healthcare is near and dear to our hearts. We believe that there is value in surfacing simple, intuitive ideas to drive a lot of impact.”
The Target Simplicity Challenge is a contest that runs through late October and is designed to generate ideas to simplify healthcare and help individuals and families live healthier lives. The winner in each category will receive $25,000 and a chance to partner with Target to bring the idea to fruition.
Engagement is a critical way in which Target works to simplify the healthcare offerings within its stores and its consumer-centric approach aims to help clarify complex health information. Learning how to partner with this retailer and win the Target guest in health care can be a tremendous win-win in today’s challenging environment.
The Shopper Marketing Expo is slated for Oct. 8 to 10, at Chicago’s Navy Pier. For more information, visit ShopperMarketExpo.com.