Free access to the research report 'The Battle of Festive Promotions in New Retail Terminals 2018' based on 346,756 terminal samples nationwide is available by clicking 'Read Original' below. Recently, online retail growth has slowed, competition has intensified, and major e-commerce giants are expanding into physical retail. From January to August 2018, offline retail accounted for about 80% of total retail sales of consumer goods, and sales data continuously confirms that competition for offline retail resources has always been the main battlefield for brands and retailers. Since August, retail categories related to various festivals have gradually entered the peak season, especially Qixi (Chinese Valentine's Day), Mid-Autumn Festival, and National Day. Festivals are crucial periods for brands to boost sales and significantly impact achieving annual sales targets. During these times, brands often compete for terminal sales opportunities through promotional displays, POSM usage, and price promotions. But even when doing promotions, some brands consistently maintain a leading sales position that competitors cannot match, while followers are often slow to react or even unaware of where they went wrong. Survey data shows that among factors influencing brand building and sales growth, perfect terminal execution (in-store displays, promotional activities, etc.) has the greatest impact on product sales in brand stores, accounting for 59%. Clearly, for brands, regular in-store audits can effectively improve product display and promotional execution, ultimately achieving organic sales growth. Therefore, timely and accurate terminal business intelligence is crucial for sales improvement. During the past three major festivals, the well-known domestic mobile crowdsourcing marketing technology service platform 'Xiangpai APP' leveraged its over 600,000 registered users to quickly visit 31 provinces/municipalities/autonomous regions across China, collecting 346,756 sample data points. Using Baidu AI image recognition technology, they promptly produced a comparative analysis report of two periods (Qixi vs. Mid-Autumn & National Day) titled 'Xiangpai Category Observation - Chocolate Category Promotions'. Xiangpai ensures data authenticity and timeliness through four major systems: user system +APP operating system + anti-counterfeiting verification system + AI analysis system. Brands can use these seemingly independent in-store promotional execution data, combined with sales data during festivals, to analyze the relationship between their promotional execution effectiveness and sales. Even from execution details like pillar wraps and end-cap displays, they can uncover secrets to single-store sales growth. Below is the data performance of various brands' promotional execution during the festivals: (Free access to the research report 'The Battle of Festive Promotions in New Retail Terminals 2018' based on 346,756 terminal samples nationwide is available by clicking 'Read Original' below.) Mars Undisputed No.1 Chocolate Brand Mars leads the second and third-tier brand echelons with nearly half the levels in off-shelf display rate, POSM execution rate, and average promotional display area per store. The ritual of Qixi is essential, and excellent promotional execution showcases the brand's festive changes, thereby driving consumer spending at specific times. Data source: Xiangpai Category Observation During Mid-Autumn & National Day, compared to Qixi, Mars's off-shelf display rate declined overall, and average promotional display area per store and POSM execution rate dropped significantly, but still maintained a leading level. Multiple promotional forms coexist, mainly gift boxes. The price range is broad, appealing to all ages. More than 10 SKUs provide consumers with multiple choices, but should we note whether too many promotional display product lines might weaken shoppers' purchase impulse? Quick and decisive, not my style to procrastinate After Qixi, gift box packaging largely withdrew from the market, with September and October focusing on discounts for daily products, fitting the Mid-Autumn & National Day shopping scenarios. Xiangpai's continuous category observation helps brands understand festive promotional execution, compare sales data across different regions and KA channels to find the best promotional execution plans. Data source: Xiangpai Category Observation Ferrero King Of The Second War Stubborn high prices, the final 'compromise' on price During Qixi, Ferrero mainly used price discounts on high-priced products, with gift boxes consistent, and the medium price range of 60-100 yuan being Ferrero's 'final compromise on price'. Stack displays were mainly in the chocolate section, while during Mid-Autumn & National Day they were evenly distributed across sections like instant drinks, candy, and savory foods, showing flexibility between concentration and dispersion. Data source: Xiangpai Category Observation Daily aloofness, responding to change with constancy During Mid-Autumn & National Day, compared to Qixi, Ferrero's core KPI performance in the East region, Carrefour, RT-Mart, and Walmart improved significantly, but in the West, North, and Yonghui systems, it dropped by nearly half. Apart from established festivals, Ferrero's prices generally maintain a high-profile stance. Kinder Valuing Ordinary Holidays More Than Qixi Brands talking about love are all the same; interesting souls are rare Kinder chocolate, positioned for teenagers, appeared somewhat Buddhist in the Qixi chocolate battle, with off-shelf display rate, POSM execution rate, and average promotional display area per store all mediocre, and packaging unchanged from usual. However, after Qixi, during the Mid-Autumn & National Day period, it improved promotional execution KPI indicators in all retail systems except Yonghui. With a low-age positioning, the strategy is clear. When all chocolates are associated with love, the fun-and-entertainment faction takes a different path: apart from love-themed festivals, Kinder chocolate can increase promotional investment in any festival or region related to teenagers and children. Mondelez Keyword: Normal 'Discount = the only promotional method' Perhaps they lack the capability to execute multiple promotional forms. Some merchants' 'Double 11' is raising prices then discounting, but Mondelez chose direct discounts nationwide during Qixi, with a discount rate of 20%, and up to 33% in the East region. Being normal is not wrong; it's just that competitors are too strong. During Qixi, the off-shelf display rate and POSM execution rate were lagging among the five major brands, and the decline in key KPIs during Mid-Autumn & National Day was even more pronounced. Xiangpai reminds: pay more attention to product 'appearance rate'. Hershey More Products to Support Love Sharing More products, more sharing Concentrating firepower on Qixi, Hershey's off-shelf display rate during Mid-Autumn & National Day dropped about 60% compared to Qixi, the largest decline among the five brands. Perhaps spending money on the blade's edge is Hershey's promotional tenet. During Qixi, gifts and discounts coexisted; during Mid-Autumn, chocolate and mooncakes were sold together, with sales, gifts, and sharing (packs). Love is not just about two people's intimacy, but also a family's harmony. The Double 11 battle is imminent, with the online battlefield full of smoke, and offline must take the initiative. The key to 'New Retail' competition is data competition. For brands and retailers, being the first to grasp real data from retail terminals means gaining the first-mover advantage. Click 'Read Original' to get the full version of the research report 'The Battle of Festive Promotions in New Retail Terminals 2018' based on 346,756 terminal samples nationwide. 'Xiangpai' is a well-known domestic mobile crowdsourcing marketing technology service platform and a member of the China Marketing Research Association (CMRA). Currently with over 600,000 registered users, Xiangpai users distribute terminal data collection, providing clients with various terminal real-time intelligence. Xiangpai's four major technology systems ensure the authenticity of terminal data: user system + APP operating system + anti-counterfeiting verification system + AI analysis system. Currently, Xiangpai has been recognized by well-known domestic and international enterprises such as Coca-Cola, Mars, and Yihai Kerry, aiming to help clients improve efficiency and reduce costs! Compared with traditional research methods: l 100% data authenticity restoration l 75% time efficiency improvement l 40% enterprise cost savings Welcome to visit www.mydubang.com to learn more. -END-