--- title: How To Explain To A 5th Grader What Shopper Marketers Do description: Shopper marketers are used to explaining over and over again what they do—this guide simplifies how to explain the field even to a 5th grader. image: https://blog.shopperations.com/hubfs/What%20do%20Shopper%20Marketers%20Really%20Do_.png --- [![Enlightened Shopper Marketing!](https://blog.shopperations.com/hubfs/2023-Shopperations-Theme/img/5435534.png "Enlightened Shopper Marketing!")](https://shopperations.com) - [Platform](https://shopperations.com/platform/) - [Services](https://shopperations.com/services/) - [Clients](https://shopperations.com/#clients) - [Who We Help](https://shopperations.com/#whowehelp) - [About Us](https://shopperations.com/about/) - [Blog](https://blog.shopperations.com/) - [Contact](https://shopperations.com/contact/) - [Client Login](https://shopperationsapp.com/auth/login) ### BLOG FOR PRACTICAL SHOPPER MARKETERS # How To Explain To A 5th Grader What Shopper Marketers Do By [OlgaYurovski](https://blog.shopperations.com/author/olgayurovski) Posted [December 11, 2017](http://shopperations.info/2016/09/) In [Insider Scoop](https://blog.shopperations.com/topic/insider-scoop), In [Shopper Marketing 101](https://blog.shopperations.com/topic/shopper-marketing-101) [4](https://blog.shopperations.com/how-to-explain-to-a-5th-grader-what-shopper-marketers-do#comments-listing) - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) ![What do shopper marketers do?](https://blog.shopperations.com/hs-fs/hubfs/What%20do%20Shopper%20Marketers%20Really%20Do_.png?width=449&name=What%20do%20Shopper%20Marketers%20Really%20Do_.png "What do shopper marketers do?")Let’s face it, when you tell people your profession you often get blank stares followed by the question, “what does a shopper marketer do exactly?” You take a deep breath and give your spiel. When you are finished, the person who asked pretends as if they know what you do and you end up answering a hundred follow-up questions: “Yes, it’s a facet of marketing, but it’s different.” “No, it’s not like advertising.” “Yes, companies actually pay for that in-store signage.” “Yes, the job is more than just coupons.” Each shopper marketer has their own way of describing to people what they do in layman's terms. Especially with the holidays right around the corner, you know your family and friends will ask you about your job. So it is best to prepare for that dreaded question now. Lucky for you, we have you covered. We can help our family and friends understand what we do in a simple way. Here are some suggestions for when you are met with blank stares after you tell them your job title. **So here is what you could say to your...** **Ten year-old niece Nora** — “I help shoppers like your mom and dad make a decision about what products to buy. I help create fun things like food demos, where you get to eat the yummy snacks while shopping, or a display that has lots of colors and fun pictures. That way, they will be excited to buy a specific product over one we do not want them to buy.” **Grandma Mary** — “I know you clip tons of coupons, grandma. Well, part of my role is to figure out what type of offer we should run on my company’s products and when it makes the most sense to offer that coupon and how we should offer it. We often couple that offer with some sort of in-store activity like showcasing our products on an end cap display to get an increase our number of sales.” **Uncle Bob** — “I’m part of the reason you purchased that particular brand of beer, since I strategically decided to have a coupon offer plus football themed shelf signage at every Kroger store right before the Super Bowl. This clearly grabbed your attention and met your expected needs based on historical shopper insight and data showing an overall sales lift from these tactics year after year. You’re welcome.” **Friend of a Friend Susan** — “I work with the brand team, sales team, and retailers to provide a cohesive branding for our company’s product in-store. From the coupon offers or advertisements in the circulars, to the fancy endcap displays, to the shelf or floor graphic signage, my job is to have a shopper purchase my company’s product over our competitors’. And since the majority of purchase decisions are made in-store, you can imagine how important my role is.” **And here is what you could say if you want to…** **Sound cool** — One former shopper marketer says, “I always say I’m like a party planner. I organize the type of event, a date to have it, and theme. I have to work with cross-functional groups or different vendors (in the party planning analogy), to create the best event for an audience to enjoy! After the event is over, I need to access from feedback (insights) on how successful the event was.” **Sound mysterious** — “It’s a secret world, a parallel reality that exists without you knowing about it. Shopper marketing is everywhere. Remember that radio commercial about Free Friday download for a candy bar at Kroger? Well, it was people like me who made it happen. We make ads pop on your phone, in your social media feed, in your inbox, even those thick Sunday paper inserts were created and by us, too! That lady in the apron who gives out samples of tasty new foods at your local grocer, she is in on the secret.” **Make them laugh** — “I’m like Santa but instead of giving out toys, I give out samples and coupons! I even have elves that help me get the message out about the latest deals on your favorite items at the store. Save the milk and cookies for Santa, but you can thank me for the gift of $.49 a pound on your holiday Turkey!” So the next time you get the question “what do you do?”, (whether from your grandma or your niece) simply use one of the above approaches to explaining your job. They’ll actually understand what you do, so you don’t have to explain it again next year. Which one of these prompts will you use to describe what you do to your family and friends? How else would you describe what you do in simple terms? Share with us in the comment section! **You may also like these posts:** - [5 Signs Your Shopper Marketing Organization Is A Black Hole](https://blog.shopperations.com/5-signs-your-shopper-marketing-organization-is-a-black-hole) - [Is Your Shopper Marketing Agency Watson to Your Holmes?](https://blog.shopperations.com/is-your-shopper-marketing-agency-watson-to-your-holmes) - [Shopper Marketing, An Awkward Teenager](https://blog.shopperations.com/shopper-marketing-an-awkward-teenager)   [![Get the Shopperations eBook](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/1590127/2047697a-d482-470b-ab2e-04e4005ca4a5.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/1590127/2047697a-d482-470b-ab2e-04e4005ca4a5) ![OlgaYurovski](https://blog.shopperations.com/hubfs/1a44c7f28cfee6a9c9c285928d0db3ba.jpeg) ### [OlgaYurovski](https://blog.shopperations.com/author/olgayurovski) After more than 15 years in the Consumer Packaged Goods industry, I founded Shopperations to solve a problem I saw everywhere, marketing teams running complex retail programs with tools that were never designed for the job. Today I focus on building software that brings structure, transparency, and control to omnichannel marketing execution. I’m passionate about retail, shopper marketing, and the systems that help marketing teams operate with clarity and confidence. ### Recent Posts [![How to Get Your Omnichannel Marketing Plan AI-Ready](https://blog.shopperations.com/hubfs/Blog%20header%20How%20to%20get%20your%20Omnichannel%20marketing%20plan%20AI%20ready.png)](https://blog.shopperations.com/how-to-get-your-omnichannel-marketing-plan-ai-ready) [How to Get Your Omnichannel Marketing Plan AI-Ready](https://blog.shopperations.com/how-to-get-your-omnichannel-marketing-plan-ai-ready) [![Retail Media Is No Longer a Line Item. It Is Now a Planning Discipline.](https://blog.shopperations.com/hubfs/ChatGPT%20Image%20Jun%2024%2c%202026%2c%2003_41_24%20PM-png.png)](https://blog.shopperations.com/retail-media-is-no-longer-a-line-item.-it-is-now-a-planning-discipline) [Retail Media Is No Longer a Line Item. It Is Now a Planning Discipline.](https://blog.shopperations.com/retail-media-is-no-longer-a-line-item.-it-is-now-a-planning-discipline) [![The Evolution of Shopper Marketing and the Next Power Shift](https://blog.shopperations.com/hubfs/The%20Shopper%20Marketing%20History%20and%20Timeline.png)](https://blog.shopperations.com/the-evolution-of-shopper-marketing-and-the-next-power-shift) [The Evolution of Shopper Marketing and the Next Power Shift](https://blog.shopperations.com/the-evolution-of-shopper-marketing-and-the-next-power-shift) [![](https://blog.shopperations.com/hubfs/What%20do%20Shopper%20Marketers%20Really%20Do_.png) Agency Vs. Client: Deciding The Shopper Marketing Career Path Insider Scoop, Shopper Marketing 101](https://blog.shopperations.com/agency-vs.-client-deciding-the-shopper-marketing-career-path) [![](https://blog.shopperations.com/hubfs/What%20do%20Shopper%20Marketers%20Really%20Do_.png) Podcast: Taking Shopper Marketing From Art To Science Insider Scoop, Shopper Marketing 101](https://blog.shopperations.com/agency-vs.-client-deciding-the-shopper-marketing-career-path) [![Free ebook How to build modern Shopper Marketing Capability](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/1590127/abba3902-dda3-42c9-8120-854ccd64a38b.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/1590127/abba3902-dda3-42c9-8120-854ccd64a38b) [![Vendorstan - Find a perfect tactic or vendor to activate your brand](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/1590127/b2836216-bb9f-4c79-b4bf-6c110df45a6e.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/1590127/b2836216-bb9f-4c79-b4bf-6c110df45a6e) ### Posts by Topic - [Shopper Marketing Best Practices (87)](https://blog.shopperations.com/topic/shopper-marketing-best-practices) - [Shopper Marketing Tools & Tech (49)](https://blog.shopperations.com/topic/shopper-marketing-tools-tech) - [Insider Scoop (44)](https://blog.shopperations.com/topic/insider-scoop) - [Shopper Marketing 101 (30)](https://blog.shopperations.com/topic/shopper-marketing-101) - [Shopper Marketing Trends (22)](https://blog.shopperations.com/topic/shopper-marketing-trends) - [Shopper Marketing Agency (12)](https://blog.shopperations.com/topic/shopper-marketing-agency) - [Shopper Marketing Careers (12)](https://blog.shopperations.com/topic/shopper-marketing-careers) - [Startup Life (11)](https://blog.shopperations.com/topic/startup-life) - [Podcast (10)](https://blog.shopperations.com/topic/podcast) - [Shopper Marketing Conferences (8)](https://blog.shopperations.com/topic/shopper-marketing-conferences) - [Shopper Marketing Hero (8)](https://blog.shopperations.com/topic/shopper-marketing-hero) - [Shopper Insights and Analytics (7)](https://blog.shopperations.com/topic/shopper-insights-and-analytics) - [Vlog (6)](https://blog.shopperations.com/topic/vlog) - [Shopper Marketing Tactics and Vendors (5)](https://blog.shopperations.com/topic/shopper-marketing-tactics-and-vendors) - [Shopperations Product Updates (5)](https://blog.shopperations.com/topic/shopperations-product-updates) - [CPG eCommerce (3)](https://blog.shopperations.com/topic/cpg-ecommerce) - [In-Store Marketing (1)](https://blog.shopperations.com/topic/in-store-marketing) - [Retail Media (1)](https://blog.shopperations.com/topic/retail-media) - [Shopper Marketing Examples (1)](https://blog.shopperations.com/topic/shopper-marketing-examples) see all ### Popular Posts [![](https://blog.shopperations.com/hubfs/Blog%20header%20-%209%20Things%20I%20wish.png)](https://blog.shopperations.com/9-things-i-wish-brand-managers-knew-about-shopper-marketing-2025-edition) ### [9 Things I Wish Brand Managers Knew About Shopper Marketing (2025 edition)](https://blog.shopperations.com/9-things-i-wish-brand-managers-knew-about-shopper-marketing-2025-edition) Posted on November 18,2025 [![](https://blog.shopperations.com/hubfs/The%20Shopper%20Marketing%20History%20and%20Timeline.png)](https://blog.shopperations.com/the-evolution-of-shopper-marketing-and-the-next-power-shift) ### [The Evolution of Shopper Marketing and the Next Power Shift](https://blog.shopperations.com/the-evolution-of-shopper-marketing-and-the-next-power-shift) Posted on March 02,2026 [![](https://blog.shopperations.com/hubfs/Shopper%20Insights%20101%20Blog%20Header%20Image-png.png)](https://blog.shopperations.com/shopper-insights-101-what-they-are-and-why-they-matter) ### [Shopper Insights 101 - what they are and why they matter](https://blog.shopperations.com/shopper-insights-101-what-they-are-and-why-they-matter) Posted on October 04,2023 ### Subscribe to Email Updates ![5435534](https://blog.shopperations.com/hubfs/2023-Shopperations-Theme/img/5435534.png "5435534") - [Service Agreement](http://shopperations.info/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/shopperations-agreement.pdf) - [Privacy Policy](https://shopperations.com/privacy-policy/) - Sitemap © 2026 Shopperations Research & Technology LLC ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "OlgaYurovski", "url" : "https://blog.shopperations.com/author/olgayurovski" }, "dateModified" : "2023-07-31T22:20:01.273Z", "datePublished" : "2017-12-12T02:11:41.000Z", "headline" : "How To Explain To A 5th Grader What Shopper Marketers Do", "image" : [ "https://blog.shopperations.com/hubfs/What%20do%20Shopper%20Marketers%20Really%20Do_.png" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://blog.shopperations.com/how-to-explain-to-a-5th-grader-what-shopper-marketers-do", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://blog.shopperations.com/hubfs/Logo-Shopperations-Horizontal%201%20svg.svg" }, "name" : "Shopperations Research & Technology, LLC" } } ```