A lot has changed for consumers since the pandemic hit. The pandemic, inflation, and fears of a recession have all impacted their shopping habits, which means, ding, ding, ding…another challenge for retailers.

Customers today seek value in the form of more than just a good discount, and they’re not falling for tried and tested retail tactics like sales and promotions anymore—or so we learned during Retail Brew’s latest Checkout event on examining shopper personas.

On the panel were Joan Creative’s senior cultural strategist, Jenny Chang, and Albertsons Media Collective’s senior director of business strategy and marketing science, Claire Wyatt, alongside…well, yours truly ().

But ICYMI, don’t fret; we’ve put together a few highlights—including how to figure out who the right consumer is, and how to keep them coming back for more.

Determining the target

Chang and Wyatt agreed that the first step in retaining customers is being able to target the right ones.

For Chang, who works with brands like Fitbit and eBay, the process starts with collecting and synthesizing information from a variety of sources including interviews, focus groups, surveys, and social media.

“We usually have a version [of the target consumer] from the clients,” she explained. “They’ll say, ‘We want to target 18- to 35-year-olds,’ but then we also look at something called psychographics…What that means is understanding their attitudes, their perspectives, their values, which may or may not be tied to age, race, and gender. So instead of 18- to 35-year-olds, we have people who believe that exercise is the No. 1 priority for a healthy lifestyle. Those people are a lot easier to talk to.”

Wyatt said the process was slightly different for Albertsons’s retail media network, which works with multiple clients including Unilever, Mondelez, and Campbell’s.

Keep reading here.—JS

If you regularly read Retail Brew’s Friend or Faux section in our Friday newsletters, you’ll notice that brands are constantly introducing wacky (interesting?) collaborations and products that you wouldn’t expect (see Croc stilettos or KFC slides).

While it’s fun to point these out, we also wanted to take time to highlight some more brands and companies that, in one way or another, got a fresh start in February. If you have suggestions for new brands to watch in March and beyond, feel free to let us know in our inbox.

Doggone it: Dog by Dr. Lisa is an Australian luxury pet skin care line that recently made its entry into the US, coming on the heels of a momentous year of growth. To date, the company has raised 3.25 million Australian dollars and reported an increased rate of 124% in annual sales.

• There has been an increased interest and investment in the well-being of pets globally;the pet care supplies market is on track to reach $14.5 billion by 2025.

Legend status: John Legend launched a new skin care line (for humans), Love01, that debuted February 1 with six products: a face-and-body wash, face-and-body moisturizer, an exfoliating scrub, a toning mist, a face-and-body oil, and a shave cream.

• “Seeing what was out there in the marketplace, understanding what luxury skin care feels like, and then translating that luxury feel to a more affordable price was really exciting,” Legend told Cosmopolitan.

+1: Adidas has unveiled its first new line in 50 years: Adidas Sportswear. The label debuted with the Tiro Suit Collection of tracksuits, the Avryn shoe, the Express Dress, the Express Jersey, and the Coach Jacket. The brand is now available online as well.—KM

“According to the NYT, [companies are] going all-in on ‘premiumization,’ which is a strategy to entice customers to pay more for what is perceived as a better-quality product or service,” writes Morning Brew’s Neal Freyman:

Premiumization isn’t new. Starbucks famously did it with coffee in the 1990s, and airlines have been dangling a luxurious first-class experience for decades. Premiumization has been especially popular in the consumer goods space. But what’s new is the breadth of companies that are trying to extract more $$$ from their wealthiest customers.

Read the full story here on Morning Brew.

Jones Road Beauty Founder and Chief Creative Officer Bobbi Brown joins us at The Brief, a one-day marketing summit, to share her journey and the strategies she used to take over the beauty industry (again)!

We’ve assembled some seriously big marketing brains to reveal their best practices, challenges, and experiences with one audience in mind: YOU.

Today’s top retail reads.

Hots-pitality: After being walloped during the pandemic, restaurants, bars, and hotels are hiring at the fastest pace in today’s economy. (the Wall Street Journal)

Bigger fish to air fry: How brands including Nestlé and Tyson Foods are responding to the air-fryer boom by both developing products for the device and providing air-fryer cooking instructions. (CNBC)

Pulling out mall the stops: Indoor snow parks. Roller coasters. Fireworks. How malls in the Middle East embraced theme-park style entertainment. (Forbes)

Inquiring minds: Want to know more about the worlds of science, history, travel, and tech? Check out Curiosity Stream and browse the deepest collection of the best documentaries ever. Start watching with 25% off.*

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At the mall, it’s where band tees are the only tees. In Retail Brew, it’s where we invite readers to weigh in on a trending retail topic.

A Pennsylvania Chick-fil-A is requiring anyone younger than 16 to be “accompanied by an adult,” according to Insider. In a February 22 Facebook post, the restaurant explained some minors had been loud, disrespected employees, and vandalized restrooms.

You tell us: Should restaurants be allowed to ban unchaperoned minors under 16 based on them being unruly? Cast your vote here.

Circling back: Last week, we asked about a new draft rule from the FDA that said oat and other plant-based milks can keep labeling themselves as “milk,” despite the dairy industry’s position that they should be called “beverages.” And among our readers…it’s Big Dairy for the win, with 52.8% voting that only milk that comes from udders should be called milk, 44.7% voting that plant-based milk manufacturers should be allowed to go by “milk,” and 2.5% didn’t know or weren’t sure.

Catch up on the Retail Brew stories you may have missed.

• Inside the “Chipotlane” strategy
• Pop Up Grocer goes permanent
• Can automation in fashion transform the design process?