UNILEVER Holdings (M) Sdn Bhd managing director Sze Tian Poh who has been with Unilever for 17 years and was the person who instrumental in the launch of one of the country's top-selling shampoo Sunsilk.
Sze takes a lot of pride in Sunsilk shampoo, which currently garners more than 20% market share and contributes some RM70mil to the company's revenue.
He attributes the success of the shampoo mainly to the attractive bright-coloured packaging, the introduction of shampoo for tudung wearers as well as the impact of the shampoo itself.
Sze has been spending time watching people shop at hypermarkets and stores. He is probably one of the few patrons who are truly concerned about how people react to various items on display.
“I spend four to eight hours a month observing shoppers at different types of outlets, then return to the office to formulate a theory on shopper behaviour which I will check out later,” he says in an interviewSze is also studying how the effect of traffic lights on road users can be applied to shops and hypermarkets to attract shoppers' attention.
Road users normally become more alert when they approach a junction with traffic lights, he says, adding that ads can also be positioned in the same manner to help persuade shoppers to stop and look.
“We are the first to have a picture of a girl on a shampoo pack. That brings a little bit of traffic light effect,” he says.
Unilever spends a lot on mass advertising to convey the right message, and without it, its point-of-sale (POS) ads will not work effectively, he says
POS, on the other hand, helps to ensure that shoppers are not lured to other brands when they enter the shop. Sze says that this is crucial so “we spend on POS more than anyone can imagine.”
Another strong POS attraction for Sunsilk is the various colours the manufacturer uses for the packs.
“The packs are available in six colours. They look very attractive when arranged on the shelves.”
Sze's unconventional ideas are centred on, among other things, the human senses of sight (colour), sound (music), smell and touch.
His latest findings show how significant the effect of smell can be on shoppers' buying decision.
“The only sense that has not been used widely is the sense of smell,” he says.
He says the sight of colour or the sound of music must pass the left part of the brain, then be transferred to and processed in the right brain before one is emotionally affected by that sense. The sense of smell is sent directly to the right brain for processing.
“The sense of smell helps alert shoppers subconsciously to pay attention to the brand,” he says, adding that he is still studying on how to find the right match between smell and the environment,”
Sze believes that by observing the behaviours of shoppers, the company can better understand their needs and fulfil them so that they will pay more attention to the company's brands.
Among other things, he studies how a person who steps into a hypermarket reacts to thousands of items around him.
Sze says his endeavour takes him to various shopping outlets owned by Unilever's retailing customers.
Sze anticipates dramatic changes in the shopping trend in Malaysia in the near future.
“Brand owners like us must learn how to treat shoppers as our audience. The shelves are the theatres and the brand must put on a good show and make them come back to applaud it. This requires a lot of effort from advertisers,” he says.
Unilever strives to understand how shoppers react when they confront the brand, particularly at the shelves, Sze says.
“We already have the test to measure viewers' interaction with the TV ads. We have yet to have one to show how well shoppers interact with the products at the shelves,” he adds.
It looks like Sze will have to spend more time observing shoppers.
Excerpt from Bizweek
Tag: Beauty :Malaysia: Health & wellness:
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