Retailers Discuss Omnichannel Marketing Opportunities
“In marketing, omnichannel refers to a customer-centric approach that unifies all channels,” said Matt Beaudin of ShopToCook, citing Amazon’s definition. “I really like that idea of customer-centricity. If it’s not customer-centric, it’s probably not going to be successful.”
Beaudin moderated the panel, “Omnichannel Marketing—Tying it All Together,” at the NGA Show, Monday. Panelists included Bryan Neiman of Neiman’s Family Market, Jamie Collins of Dierbergs Market, Grant Lunde of C&S Wholesale Grocers, and Matt Smith of grocery technology company Grocerist.
The theme of customer-centricity carried into another session presented by John Ross of the Independent Grocers Alliance titled, "Retail Media and the Growing Opportunity for Independents." Retail media is a way that retailers can sell space on their digital platforms to other brands, and Ross outlined ways this type of marketing can be implemented with customers in mind.
Ross explained that independent retailers can leverage consumer data to better serve their community, including by targeting a specific area of the store with digital advertising. In one example, he suggested sending specialized blasts about deep savings to areas of the store appealing to those with low incomes.
During the omnichannel session, panelists noted that they were excited by data.
At Neiman’s Family Market, data has to be easy to understand and simple to learn from.
“Being small, the data could completely overwhelm us. We try to break it down and find information that can be immediately applicable,” said Neiman. “We focus on text messaging campaigns and we can use our app card to figure out how customers came in, when they came, and how much they spent…[For now] I just look for the wins: if we got a good text blast, that’s a win.”
He added that as the brand grows it will save relevant data and seek out partners to find more insights.
Dierbergs, on the other hand, is ready to start leveraging first-party data from its app.
“We’re kicking the tires in terms of what to do with it. It’s been tremendous in terms of informing who our customers are, what they are buying, and how frequently they come in and spend,” said Collins.
She said that her team is working to integrate digital coupons into electric shelf labels, allowing more users to take advantage of coupons while driving consumers to the app and connecting various omnichannel tools to make for a seamless experience.
“Omnichannel is big and there’s a lot going on,” said Beaudin. “The independent retailer has more options in front of them than they ever had.”