Social Media on Aisle Four - Medallion Retail
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Strategy, Creativity, Social Media Integration, Brand Positioning, Retail Marketing, In-Store Marketing, Case Studies

Social Media on Aisle Four

POSTED ON: 03/07/17 Food Store Marketing

Don’t tell Piggly Wiggly, but only a quarter of shoppers are “Friends” with their primary grocery store on social media.

According to a recent U.S. Supermarket Shopper Digital Update released by the Retail Feedback Group, a full 75% of shoppers fail to give their faithful food market any online love.

It’s not that these shoppers aren’t online. Quite the opposite, in fact. The report reveals that shoppers regularly visit Facebook (89%), YouTube (53%) Twitter (30%), Pinterest (29%) and Instagram (28%). And while 87% of supermarket shoppers regularly follow one or more of these social media platforms, just 25% said they are connected to their primary grocery store.

“Closing the social media gap presents a real opportunity, as many shoppers will change their behavior based on recommendations from their social network,” said Brian Numainville, Retail Feedback Group principal. “For example, our research shows that 45% of supermarket shoppers are very willing to make a new recipe or meal and 32% are very willing to purchase a new food item based on social network suggestions.”

While more than half (56%) of supermarket shoppers interact with their primary grocery store during moments when they’re actively seeking information (such as checking digital circulars [65%], researching special promotions [48%] and putting together a shopping list [46%]), a full 44% said they were not sure whether their primary grocery store even had a mobile app or mobile-friendly website.

Food retailers must more effectively showcase the digital tools they offer, and demonstrate how they desire authentic interaction with the shopper. The answer is the tight, seamless integration of in-store and online marketing; a union that doesn’t sell apples or bread or ground meat, but instead, promises family closeness, fun with friends and memorable parties.

“Lifestyle” is the language of grocery store marketing today. And to be fluent, marketers must use social media to build meaningful exchanges and strong relationships.

  • Here are ten ways to get the conversation started:
  • Video tutorials from experts
  • Crowd-sourced recipes
  • Sharable experience reviews
  • Exclusive in-store-only content
  • Selfie areas
  • In-store-only coupons / discounts
  • Meal-planning guides on-shelf
  • Location-triggered entertaining ideas for smartphones
  • Join-and-save rewards programs
  • Real-time “suggestion box”
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