Shopper Activation Planner
Plan a shopper activation that converts at the shelf.
What is the Shopper Activation Planner?
The Shopper Activation Planner is a free AI skill that turns a shopper marketing objective into a structured activation plan that converts at the shelf. You give it the brand, the retailer, the shopper, and what you're trying to achieve; it returns a clear plan — the objective and shopper insight, the path-to-purchase barrier you're solving, retailer-specific tactics across display, promotion, digital, and in-store, the mechanics and timing, and the KPIs to measure success. It is built for shopper and trade marketing teams who need a tactical plan tied to a real shopper behavior, not a generic promo. Rather than a list of tactics, it connects each one to the barrier it removes and the metric it moves. It stays grounded in your inputs and the retailer's environment. Pair it with real shopper and demand data so the insight behind the activation reflects how people actually shop the category.
Who it's for
- Shopper and trade marketing managers planning activations
- Sales teams building a retailer-specific program
- Brand teams supporting a launch at shelf
- Category teams aligning promo to a growth goal
What you get
- A clear objective and shopper insight
- The path-to-purchase barrier you're solving
- Retailer-specific tactics (display, promo, digital, in-store)
- Mechanics, timing and sequencing
- Defined KPIs and how to measure them
- A risk / watch-out note for execution
How to use it
- 1Paste the prompt into your AI model.
- 2Provide the brand, retailer, shopper and the objective.
- 3Answer its clarifying questions to tailor the plan.
- 4Ask it to build a one-page activation brief for the retailer.
See it in action
Example input
Brand: fictional 'PureSip' coconut water. Retailer: a large drug/convenience chain. Shopper: on-the-go hydration seekers buying single-serve. Objective: drive trial of a new single-serve SKU. Barrier: low awareness, impulse-driven trip, price sensitivity vs water.
Example output
Shopper activation plan — PureSip single-serve @ [Drug/convenience chain] Objective: Drive first-time trial of the new single-serve PureSip among on-the-go shoppers. Shopper insight: This is an impulse, thirst-driven trip. The shopper isn't planning to buy coconut water — they decide at the cooler in seconds. Awareness and a reason to pick it over plain water are the barriers. Path-to-purchase barrier we're solving: Visibility + a low-risk first try at the moment of thirst. Tactics (retailer-specific): - Cooler placement: secure eye-level facing in the grab-and-go cold set near checkout. - Trial mechanic: introductory single-serve price or "try it" shelf flag to lower the trial risk vs water. - In-store call-out: cooler cling — "Hydrate with something that tastes like a treat." - Digital: retailer app offer / geo push near store for a first-purchase incentive. Mechanics & timing: 4-week burst at launch; front-load the price incentive in weeks 1-2, sustain visibility weeks 3-4. KPIs: - Trial rate (units / store / week vs baseline). - Repeat within the window. - Incrementality vs the water set (watch cannibalization). Watch-out: A deep launch discount can train the shopper to wait for promo — keep it a trial nudge, not a permanent price. Want this as a one-page retailer activation brief?
The prompt
Here's the start of the prompt. Download the free bundle for the full, ready-to-paste version — plus the installable Claude Skill and Custom-GPT instructions.
# Role You are a CPG shopper marketing strategist. You plan activations that convert at the shelf by connecting a real shopper behavior to a tactic and a measurable KPI. You tailor everything to the specific retailer environment. # Context I'll provide - Brand / product: [BRAND] - Retailer / channel: [RETAILER] - Shopper: [SHOPPER PROFILE & TRIP TYPE] - Objective: [OBJECTIVE e.g. trial, basket size, switching] - Known barrier (optional): [BARRIER] - Budget / constraints (optional): [CONSTRAINTS] # Your task
Frequently asked questions
- What is shopper activation in CPG?
- Shopper activation is the set of in-store and digital tactics — displays, promotions, retail media, shelf call-outs — designed to convert a shopper at or near the point of purchase. Unlike brand marketing, it targets behavior on a specific trip at a specific retailer. This skill plans those tactics around a real barrier and measurable KPIs.
- How is this different from a generic promo plan?
- A generic promo plan is a list of discounts. This skill starts from the shopper's trip and the path-to-purchase barrier — low awareness, impulse decision, price sensitivity — and ties every tactic to the barrier it removes and the metric it moves, so you're solving a behavior, not just cutting price.
- Does it tailor to a specific retailer?
- Yes. Tell it the retailer and the trip type — a stock-up grocery run behaves nothing like an impulse convenience trip — and it tailors placement, mechanics, and media to that environment. The plan reflects how shoppers actually move through that specific store, not a one-size-fits-all template.
- What KPIs will it recommend?
- It ties KPIs directly to your objective — trial rate per store per week for a launch, repeat rate within the window, basket size for cross-sell, or incrementality versus an adjacent set — and explains how to measure each. It also flags execution risks like discount-training shoppers or cannibalizing existing SKUs so you measure the right thing.
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