Marketing Automation (MA) is gaining recognition among international giants and small enterprises across various sectors. It has long been known that MA is not just about automatic email sending, but also a range of tools that help connect online and offline sales and omnichannel communication. The FMCG (Fast-Moving Consumer Goods) industry requires tools that make contact with the consumer simple and convenient. Due to the extensive product offering and numerous recipients, companies are increasingly implementing Marketing Automation.
Just imagine a company that wants to notify consumers about new products but lacks automation and sends all messages manually. This is possible, but it is not worth wasting time and money on executing something that can be automated. Without Marketing Automation in the FMCG industry, it is almost impossible to communicate with recipients on an ongoing basis, not to mention tailoring marketing campaigns based on, for example, local promotions.
The number of tools used depends on the company and its consumers. Here are examples of how marketing automation is used for fast-moving consumer goods:
Marketing Automation allows for storing organized data and automatically retrieving information, such as the consumer's first and last name, from the system for message creation. Additionally, personalized recommendations can be displayed to user X, different from the content shown to recipient Y. This is called dynamic blocks. Such a changing message is easy to create based on consumers' interests and purchase preferences.
Without personalization, the budget can be wasted, for example, by directing a marketing campaign for flavored sparkling water to people who are not interested in such products but would gladly buy the sugar-free juices and drinks offered by the company. Of course, this is not a good tactic, and it can even discourage the recipient and make them perceive the company only negatively.
GeoPoints are an innovative solution for companies that operate many physical locations in different cities or even countries. Creating your own GeoPoints database is particularly important if individual product prices and promotions vary by region. They are also useful when only some physical locations offer additional amenities, such as having their own parking lot or being adapted for people with disabilities.
GeoPoints help in precise consumer targeting and also enable informing recipients about local events and promotions at their favorite location. By using real-time marketing, the appropriate message will be delivered in a few moments.
In the FMCG industry, many well-known brands organize lotteries and contests using various codes found on product packaging. No wonder! These types of promotional activities can effectively persuade the consumer to make a purchase. A 2024 report indicates that 66% of surveyed Poles are more likely to buy products that allow them to win a prize in a contest, lottery, or other promotion.
FMCG companies have a lot of room for maneuver in this area; after all, they can print the code on, for example, the pull tab of a drink, a juice carton, a bag of chips, a sticker on laundry detergent, or even on a cream container. Using marketing automation to generate unique codes not only streamlines the entire process of organizing a lottery or contest but also allows companies to avoid problems related to, for example, code duplication.
The FMCG industry must respond to current consumer needs on an ongoing basis and adapt marketing campaigns to each recipient. By using pop-ups or mobile and web push notifications, the company can notify consumers about the start of a promotion and the duration of the lottery. People who clicked the link will certainly appreciate personalized SMS notifications with the lottery start date and the option to purchase products with special codes. It is increasingly common to see that the sale of promotional products begins a few days (or sometimes even weeks) earlier than the lottery itself. It is worth highlighting this information and sending it to recipients in advance to encourage them to participate.
According to Promotee.pl, approximately 50 consumer lotteries and contests are organized by FMCG companies in stores every month. This illustrates how focused this industry is on promotional activities and why all possible actions should be streamlined as much as possible so that participants do not encounter any problems and are aware that such a lottery is being organized at all. Marketing automation enables the collection and analysis of contact data, as well as directing advertisements only to the group that, for example, read the message about the lottery but took no action and did not register the promotional product code on the website within a week.
The FMCG industry relies heavily on personalized communication with consumers and encouraging them to purchase through various types of discounts. With marketing automation, it is not only easy to generate a unique discount code, but it is also simple to quickly create personalized messages, for example, for the recipient's birthday.
MA scenarios allow for planning the sending of a prepared email or SMS, so there is no need to monitor the birthday of every user (which would, of course, not be very realistic, especially with an extensive database where dozens of consumers might be celebrating their birthday on the same day).
Actions involving discount coupons can also be carried out exclusively for those who have signed up for a loyalty program and collected enough points to exchange them for a discount. Sending information with a code increases the likelihood of a subsequent purchase of the company's products, and the consumer will not lose the points they have collected in their account. Studies from 2024 show that as many as 83% of surveyed Poles participated in a loyalty program within the last 12 months. This is a good opportunity to promote new products and increase the number of purchases of the FMCG company's products. It is also worth sending notifications about new products to this segment of participants from time to time and maintaining ongoing contact, and MA tools are best suited for this.
Marketing automation is also frequently used to monitor the activity of users who take specific actions. This is essential when creating personalized marketing campaigns for defined contact segments. The system collects and organizes data and records activities in a clear format, allowing consumers to be divided into different groups based on specific criteria.
In the case of contact selection in the database, scoring should be applied. This involves assigning points to contacts based on their characteristics and actions taken. Marketing Automation allows for assigning a defined number of points for performing a given activity and setting your own scoring rules. This way, for example, people who show great interest in the offer and may become loyal consumers are identified. The company can direct a special campaign exclusively to these individuals.
Monitoring activity is also extremely useful when creating a remarketing campaign directed only at those users who performed certain actions (for example, clicked a link advertising new products) but ultimately did not make a purchase.
