MARKET WATCH
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Food Lion Launches Facebook App
Shoppers at Food Lion supermarkets can now receive additional savings by accessing in-store coupons through the company’s Facebook page, powered by an app Valassis launched on Facebook Platform.
The new application also gives shoppers the opportunity to share their coupons with “friends” on the social media network. The app provides Food Lion an innovative social media tool to offer exclusive offers on a variety of items, such as My Essentials store brand products.
“At Food Lion, we look for opportunities to leverage technology to enhance our customers’ shopping experience,” said Steven Saunders, interactive marketing manager at Food Lion. “This new app is easy to use and offers our shoppers a fun way to connect with us and share the savings with friends.”
Jim Parkinson, Valassis chief digital officer, said, “This app allows brands to deliver value while connecting with their consumers in the social sphere very personally. It is another way for them to further build and nurture the relationships they have with their consumers all within the Facebook environment.”
Shoppers Prefer Mobile to Improve Grocery Shopping
Shoppers want to use their mobile phones to make grocery shopping easier, more personalized, and to have more control over inventory. But purchasing groceries with a mobile is still in its infancy.
That’s the result of the second holiday shopping survey from Aldata, now Symphony EYC. Conducted by Vision Critical on behalf of Symphony EYC, the survey included one thousand U.S. shoppers during a two-week period over the holiday shopping season. Questions centered on online shopping habits and the benefits and motivations for incorporating mobile technology into their grocery shopping experience.
“Symphony EYC’s second holiday shopping survey has determined that in the United States there is an increasing demand to use online and mobile technologies to improve the grocery shopping experience,” said Allan Davies, CMO of Symphony EYC. “Shoppers want easier, more personalized, and more control over their choices and will make decisions on where they shop based on the level of these services.”
Here are some of the key findings:
Online Convenience -- Overall, 54% of respondents said that no lines and no waiting were the greatest benefits to shopping online for groceries.
Mobile Grocery Drivers -- Of those who did use their mobile phones to buy groceries online, 60% said that receiving personalized promotions on their favorite products would make shopping for groceries online easier while almost 73% said they wanted price comparison services available on their mobile phones.
Privacy/Data Profiling -- When asked how they felt about their grocery retailer knowing their shopping habits and using that information to provide products and services to fit their lifestyle, 62.2% responded that it was OK as long as their data was safe. Younger shoppers were more likely to want benefits from stores keeping their details while older shoppers were more distrustful.
Influencing Store Inventory -- When asked how they would like to influence the products that are stocked within their preferred grocery retailer, 85.9 percent would like to be able to request that a retailer carry or stock a product that they do not currently offer while 79.8 percent would like to be able to give their opinion on what they like/dislike about products. In fact, almost half said they would consider switching to a new grocery retailer if they could influence the products stocked.
Price/Promo Optimization for McKeever’s Price Shopper
KSS Retail, a dunnhumby company, will provide McKeever Enterprises, owner and operator of nine Price Chopper supermarket locations in Kansas City, Mo., with price and promotion optimization services through its proprietary PriceStrat analytical tool and consulting services.
“We see price optimization as a competitive advantage in helping us achieve and maintain our sales objectives for unit sales, sales dollars, gross profit dollars and gross margin,” noted Tim Cosens, Director of Merchandising, Marketing & Technology, McKeever Enterprises
KSS Retail CEO Yael Cosset said, “We enable our retail clients to put the customer at the center of everything in order to create greater relevance and improve customer loyalty. said. “Since McKeever is one of five independent companies operating a total of 49 Price Chopper locations in the Kansas City area, utilizing PriceStrat will help ensure the customer has a consistent experience and the highest level of relevance no matter what location they shop.”
Brands, Retailers Star on Social Media
Who has the most followers or “Liked” pages on social media. It’s brand and retailers, according to WSL/Strategic Retail, which focuses on shopper behavior and retail trends. Nearly two-thirds (61%) of users who “Fan” social media pages, are choosing to follow brands and retailers - beating out celebrities and TV shows which are followed by just over half of users.
The finding was unveiled as part of the company’s Buzz to Buy 3.0 trend report, its third annual survey measuring how the power of Social Media and online information are impacting buying decisions.
“We may think everyone is following the Kardashians on Facebook, but in fact, Walmart is the greater social media ‘celebrity’ with more than double the number of followers as the Kardashian family’s most popular member, Kim,” said Wendy Liebmann, CEO of WSL/Strategic Retail. “That said, awareness doesn’t necessarily translate into sales - yet. Today only 26% of all users go to their Social Networks for information about something they want to buy. However, that number jumps to 40% among Millennial shoppers, a strong indication that social media’s influence on buying decisions will continue to grow.”
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