Author: Sean Keith
Historically, grocers operated in a market that, while competitive, seemed steady, resilient and resistant to change. But it seems no industry can resist disruption indefinitely—home delivery, subscription-based services and e-commerce (among other developments) are accelerating competition in the supermarket and grocery sectors and compelling operators to rethink their strategies. And
with a shift in shopping behaviors throughout Canada, the days of “business as usual” are long gone for grocers who want to gain market share and retain their customer base.
In the fight for customer loyalty, grocery marketers have an arsenal of data at their disposal. But unless you can leverage that data effectively, your advantage in a fiercely competitive market disappears.
Successful grocers understand who their customers are, what products they prefer, and how often they shop or engage with their brand—and are pulling that data into
one single customer view to better inform their customer engagement efforts this year.
Here are three ways a single customer view across all shoppers can drive a more effective marketing strategy:
Engage your customers where they prefer to be engaged
Today’s grocers engage with shoppers across multiple channels and not all channels are created equal in the eyes of today’s customer: email, SMS messages, a loyalty app, print coupons, in-store, online, and even on social media. When identity and customer data across these channels aren’t connected, one customer can look like seven, each with their own unique expectations, behaviours and needs. Compiling this data into one single customer view enables you to identify this customer across a greater number of interactions or transaction moments, enabling a deeper understanding of precisely how this customer engages across channels and moments of truth in the evolving pathway to purchase and beyond. Now, you can tailor communications and offers to match the customer intentions and the channels customers prefer, strengthening your connection by leveraging customer preferences to learn and respond how and where customers expect, building deeper loyalty to your brand.
Make more informed decisions
When customer data across systems, sources and channels is connected and accessible in real-time via a single platform, grocers can see not only the level of engagement across each channel at the customer level, but the effectiveness of each campaign—taking much of the “guess work” out of campaign optimization decisions. The data will indicate which individuals redeem a specific offer within a given campaign directly. This allows marketers to work with and leverage individual-level data to create audience and targeting decisions based on the combinations most likely to drive transactions and engagement. The days of the ‘black box’ approach to promotion are, quite literally, numbered.
Drive revenue growth with targeted promotions
Taking a data-driven approach to marketing will produce more successful promotions and save your store money in the process. Because you already know customers are interested in the products you’re advertising, you can offer a range of promotional offers or engagement mechanics (say, free shipping on orders over $100, or additional points bonuses for a basket spend above a given threshold that includes specific products or categories) and still influence customers to purchase. Replicate this strategy across your customer base and products, and over time you will see an increase in revenue through increases in the number of conversions, reflecting a reciprocal increase in meaningful and relevant exchanges of value for your customers.
When data is used in a meaningful way, it results in better customer retention, higher conversion rates, and an improved overall customer lifetime value. But it all starts with connecting your data in a single customer view.
Contact us today to learn how to leverage your data to drive a more effective marketing strategy for your business.