Grocery Shopping's Futures via the Atlantic
From virtual newsstands to record stores, QSR-ordering and grocery shopping, I’ve been following this trend for a while and here’s a good read via theatlantic with some new case studies to add to the collection:
The Grocery Store of the Future?
People do any number of things while waiting on the platform for the next subway or commuter train. Some pre-walk to position themselves at the best station exit for their destination. Some just mindlessly pace. The ones who used to look down the track every few moments for the next train now look at the digital arrival times every few moments instead. Some take pictures of rats.
And, as of earlier this month, some Philadelphians have been able to shop for groceries. The online grocer Peapod introduced virtual storefronts at select SEPTA stations throughout the city. While awaiting a train, users can download the Peapod app, peruse the items in front of them, and scan the barcode of anything they’d like to purchase. The groceries are delivered to their homes later that day.
Philly marks the idea’s American debut, but a number of international cities already have similar services. Woolworths has placed virtual storefronts at the Town Hall Station in Sydney, Australia, and displays from British retailer Tesco were installed last year in South Korea. If three is a trend, you just got trended.
Read more. [Image: Peapod]
reblogged from theatlantic
Wal-Mart Tests Home Delivery
The Bentonville, Ark., retailer launched a new service Saturday in the San Jose, Calif., area called Walmart To Go that allows customers to purchase food, health-and-beauty products, medicine and other basic household goods online and have them delivered to their doorsteps for fees starting at $5.
Shelf Talkers in 2-D
Brands and retailers have been playing with QR codes in print campaigns and they’re increasingly exploring their use on POP displays and in-store signage.
- Bumble Bee Foods’ flagship brand used a QR code that linked shoppers to its website to find recipes. FSIs distributed through SmartSource’s co-op network also carried the code. (See “FSI Report: March 13, 2011” in Related Articles.)
- H.J. Heinz’s Smart Ones positioned signs in the frozen-food aisle encouraging shoppers to send a text message to access information about partner Weight Watchers’ new program, along with relevant offers.
- Procter & Gamble’s Herbal Essences employed a Microsoft Tag 2D code to direct shoppers to the brand’s website for help in choosing the right SKUs for their specific hair-care needs.
More brands also are directing shoppers online either through their phones or home computers. General Mills’ Yoplait last month plugged a “2 week tune up” diet plan on its website, while also encouraging shoppers to engage with the brand on Facebook and Twitter. Similarly, Campbell Soup Co. deployed signs presenting recipe suggestions, but also directing shoppers online for more ideas.
Read the rest of the round-up of interesting experiments in 2-D barcodes at In-Store Marketer
Harris Teeter’s President Shares Secrets
On Monday, Harris Teeter President Fred Morganthall visited the N.C. State University Poole College of Management to share some of the secrets of his chain’s success.
On technology. Harris Teeter is focusing on social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter. It is also offering e-VIC deals, additional deals sent via email to shoppers who sign up for the service online. And Morganthall alluded to an iPhone app coming soon.
Read more of the takeaways at NewsObserver
Why Less is More at Shelf
Good post at PSFK on the ‘paralysis-by-analysis’ brought on by the overwhelming number of only slightly different products facing consumers at the shelf.
We often discuss this as being the core principal, and perhaps raison d’être for brand advertising in the US. This is arguably a huge part of the success of Trader Joe’s: limited choice on each SKU or product type appeals to many shoppers, particularly men, who shop more on a mission (looking for one item or ingredient) rather than shopping as an opportunity to browse and socialize.
For a denser read, check out the Wired magazine story Why Are Easy Decisions So Hard?
Farm Stores Online and Drive-Thru Grocery
Customers can log onto www.FarmStores.com, create an account, place orders, and have groceries waiting for them at one of 17 Farm Stores locations in Miami-Dade County. Shoppers can also choose what time they want to pick up the items.
From Two Buck Chuck to SuperValu Suds
The business of private label is booming and as retailers shift shelf space to accommodate their own brands of everything from ketchup to kitchen paper, alcoholic beverages are making the way onto endcaps and shopping lists.
This WSJ piece highlights two retailers attempting to take on America’s biggest beer brands:
Supervalu, the third-largest U.S. grocery chain by revenue, began selling Buck Range Light, a low-priced domestic brew, in December. Drugstore chain Walgreens recently began offering Big Flats 1901 for as little as $2.99 a six pack.
Price-aware shoppers will likely find this kind of deal enticing, putting even more pressure on brands and brand marketers to explain why spending that extra $5 or $10 on their premium product is worth it. And what of those shopper marketing dollars? They will have to work that bit harder to convince buyers premium still packs enough pull to bring people into stores.
Rumblings of a Walmart Digital Coupon RFI
Interesting rumor from the In-Store Marketing Institute’s Shopper Marketing (@instoremarketer) regarding Walmart circulating a request for information out to third-party vendors who can make digital/mobile coupons a reality for the world’s largest retailer.
We’ve noticed a steady increase in Walmart’s openness to couponing (always lowest prices… just a teensy bit lower) and in lieu of loyalty cards, these coupons certainly bridge onlinle/mobile to the physical store in a quantifiable way.
Perhaps they’ve been looking over their shoulder at Target’s scannable mobile coupon program, which seems to be a success largely due to the cooperation and training on the POS/checkout side of the house.
Kroger is another chain doing interesting things, but delivering digital deals straight to loyalty cards, much like Safeway’s program, powered by Cellfire.
We’re definitely marking this as one to watch… I just have this feeling that coupons themselves need a total makeover: big, bulky barcodes and all that mousetype… I’m not saying it’s QR Codes but I have a feeling the next few years will see a transition in the world of UPC.
Rolling Back Groceries Feels a Bit Rotten
As Walmart gears up to get customers down the grocery aisle, it will be interesting to see how the “always low prices” promise translates. Further lowering grocery prices inherently tells me this is a last-ditch attempt to get food that’s about to turn out the door. I’m always suspicious of sell- and use-by dates but even as the concept of rollbacks turns me sour, Walmart stands to gain serious attention from shoppers on tight budgets, looking to make healthy choices. It will be interesting to see if this eats into the packaged goods promotions or compliments what CPG brand dollars have to offer.
