In a classic example of unforeseen consequences of shopper engagement, the Daily Mail reports on an Australian woman starting a ‘flip it and reverse it’ campaign and turning labels around so people can see where supermarket foods ACTUALLY come from...
The issue for retailers is whether this one-off initiative represents a single-shopper quirk, or is perhaps the tip of a consumer-need iceberg. In other words, should enterprising retailers seize a competitive edge by filling shelves to reveal label contents, and perhaps add an occasional normal facing to aid brand-identification?
Given that this 'dumbing-up' would reverse years of simplifying shelf-filling process, and could result in knock-on labour cost-increases, perhaps suppliers could play their part by modifying their shelf-ready pack configurations?
Meanwhile, marketing colleagues on regular store-visits are bound to notice the slight reduction in pulling power of current back-of-pack labelling, and may hopefully authorise enhanced branding of rear labels..
...thereby begging the question as to the function of the now-redundant front label, in these unprecedented times?
