The industrial revolution brought about producing and focusing on the masses. Now in the information age data is everything and the focus has moved from the masses to the individual. Personalization is a key factor in building loyalty. Whether that be for a store banner or a store brand. People are more receptive to something they feel is personalized towards them. This may be a fairly obvious point, but how does one go about personalizing a grocery store for one shopper? Truth is you can’t but the webinar I listened to busted 4 myths about personalization in grocery retail and also gave a few digital recommendations at the end for how to add more personalization for your shoppers. Myth 1: Shoppers want everything to be personalized. This has some truth to it because consumers consider the act of shopping an act of personalization in itself. Shoppers still want to maintain control but retailers should look to help them while also empowering them during their time in store. It is important that retailers don’t make their customizations feel manipulative to the…
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Trends: A Look at Today’s Grocery Shopper Webinar Recap
State of the Grocery Market: 86% of all adults now say they have at least some of the responsibility for household grocery shopping. This is an important change because it is bringing in more consumers to the grocery retail world. In the past grocery shopping was fulfilled by one person, now that is only the case in 25% of US households. So, 75% of US households split the grocery shopping responsibility in some way making it a team sport. Sharing the shopping responsibility didn’t affect the number of trips like you would think. That number is around 1.6 trips per week and has remained fairly constant over the past 5 years. However, these lifestyle changes have made the biggest impact on trip frequency. Increases Trips: Reduced planning for meals Urbanization (People live, work, play, eat and shop all in the same neighborhood) Desire for freshness Decreases Trips: Sharing the shopping responsibilities Migration to online Increased reliance on food services The average weekly spend for a household is $113.50 which aligns with inflation. Of the shoppers that were surveyed only 13%…
Gift Cards – An Overlooked Revenue Stream
While offering gift cards in store is a convenience for customers, savvy retailers are also viewing them as a revenue center. Third party gift cards are actually one of the highest profit centers per square foot on the sales floor. Statistics show that the average person spends over $300 per year on gift cards; this is largely due to the fact that gift cards are the most requested gift for the last 12 years straight. This industry has boomed to over $160 billion in annual sales. In order to drive gift card sales, the first tactic is to look at the display itself. Is it worn out and ready for a refresh? Is it fully stocked with up to date cards? While assessing the fixture, one should also consider the size and placement of the display. It’s an important sales tactic to present the gift card category to the customer with as large of a display as your space can accommodate in a prominent well-trafficked area at or near the front of the store. This allows for maximum shopping content…
Stores Still Need In-Store Signage
In-store signage has been shown to sell more product and increase profits. Advertised items are sold at full-retail and result in an average lift of 30.8%. This proves that shelf-signage still has real stopping power with customers. Shoppers are looking for in store experiences and products that utilize shelf signage are engaging with the shoppers at the most crucial time. Surprisingly some studies have shown that anywhere from 50.8 to 67.7% of purchases are impulse. So, one of the best ways to trigger these purchases is to catch the consumers eye with shelf signage. In the complex store environment, brands must navigate shoppers down the aisle, into the category and to the shelf where they can close the sale. At 10 feet you need to attract the shopper, 5 feet engages and at 2 feet you need to sell the product. This is the sometimes referred to as the 10 – 5 – 2 rule. This strategies success can be attributed to 76% of all purchasing decisions being made in-store at the shelf. It’s not that shoppers don’t know what…
A Case Study for Customer Surveys
Have you ever considered conducting a customer survey for business? You might think it would be a waste of your time but consider this statistic from Zendesk: “96% of consumers don’t bother to complain, making consumer surveys an excellent way for organizations to better understand their customers’ problems.” Instead of making assumptions or viewing your business from the owner or management perspective, go directly to the people who affect your bottom line: your customers. I’ve worked with several stores on crafting and maintaining customers service surveys for both their overall customer service and specifically for their online shopping programs. I used my experience working with these stores to develop a case study of how and why to create a customer service survey. To read the full case study, click HERE. Here is a quick summary of what I cover in the case study: When to Use Customer Surveys Consider running an ongoing general customer service survey so your customers always have the option to provide feedback. I highly recommend running a separate customer service survey for your online shopping program,…
Talking to Your Audience Instead of Yourself (IABC Summit Breakout Session Recap)
I recently attended the KC IABC Business Communicators Summit and one of the breakout sessions was called Talking to Your Audience (Instead of Yourself), presented by Priya Nibert, (communications consultant, Lockton Benefit Group). While the session was directed at business communicators, it’s an important lesson for businesses, in general, when planning marketing strategy. Don’t prioritize communication over the message to the audience. One size fits all communication never works. Nibert emphasized that connecting to your audience is the key to communicating to your audience. Stop talking to yourself and prioritize the audience, message, and vehicle. Start by asking yourself the following questions: What’s in it for the audience? Is your message clear? What is the best way to deliver that message? First, start with your audience. Determine who they are and get to know them. You can do this a number of ways. An easy way is to pull demographic data from digital platforms like your social media accounts and your website. You can also conduct a customer survey. For grocery retailers, don’t make assumptions based on a limited…
In-Store Dietician
Consumers needs and trends at the grocery store are constantly changing and becoming more involved. It’s not enough to offer the lowest price or the best customer service anymore. Consumers now expect an experience even when shopping for their weekly groceries. What does this mean for a retailer? You need to offer something in your store that adds more value to your customers shopping trips. Health and wellness have been on the rise and is a driving factor in grocery purchasing decisions. How could a store both increase value to a customer’s trip while also being conscious of health and wellness? According to the Food Marketing Institute 80% of grocery chains have dieticians either at the corporate or in store level. For example, Hy-Vee and ShopRite’s have had in store dieticians for years. This offers an in-store experience while still promoting healthy lifestyles and eating. These stores were ahead of the game but now even independent grocers are starting to add retail dieticians to their workforce. Your first question is probably, “What does a retail dietician do?” That answer will…
Purpose: Stand Out in a Crowded Market
Millennial shoppers will soon be the biggest purchasing group in the United States and are estimated to spend $600 billion each year. So, what does this mean to you? The marketing landscape is changing and you will now need to focus on the needs of the millennial generation. What do millennials want in a company? In a recent study they found that 81% of millennials expect companies to make a public commitment to charitable causes and citizenship. Traditionally consumers just “wanted” companies to incorporate social good into their business model but have come to expect it in recent years. In fact, 90% of Americans say they are more likely to trust and stay loyal to stores that actively try and make a difference. Now more than ever it is important to portray and actively pursue a socially responsible image. Studies have also shown that 88% of consumers would buy a product with a social or environmental benefit and an astounding 84% would tell friends and family about the companies cause. Turning your customers into your personal marketeers. Along those same…
Coin Counting Kiosks, Worth It?
How accurate are coin-counting machines? If you are like me you tend to question almost everything. So why not question the accuracy of a coin counting machine. It’s your money and it should be counted with as much accuracy as possible. I searched for articles or studies on just that and what I found wasn’t exactly what I expected. An Action News Special Investigation done by channel 6 ABC tested 3 separate options for coin counting kiosks. They tested TD Bank, PNC Bank, and Coinstar kiosks. Out of the 3 only Coinstar gave back the exact amount. TD and PNC bank either gave back extra or shorted the customer. This may look like a win for Coinstar but even if they gave back the correct amount they also charge an 11.9% fee for exchanging your coins. So you either use an inaccurate machine or you pay a fee. Why would a retailer or a consumer want a coin counting kiosk? So with all the discrepancy in the accuracy of coin counting, why would a retailer want one in their…
Grocer Pod – Episode 5
We are back at the VMC show talking to all kinds of people. First up is Damon Stuites (0:00) talking about Blackhawk gift cards. If you are interested in more information regarding Blackhawk email Bryan Wright. Next we talk produce with Tim Graas (5:40). Brian Moyer from Freshop sits down to talk online shopping and Chef Kit (19:31). Next is Steve Rash from Coinstar tells us about the new partnership with AWG (26:40). If you are interested in adding Coinstar to your store contact Conor Middleton Mike Daly from AWG explains how retailers can stay on top of the latest products (32:09). Finally, Chris Higgs gives us the latest news on the Shopper Engagement Platform (36:18).