Notes and Thoughts on Grocery 2.0

News today that the show has been postponed.  No new date has been mentioned.  Here is FMI’s statement in regards to postponing:

It is with a deep regret that, due to the recent influenza outbreak, I share Food Marketing Institute’s decision to postpone our Future Connect and MARKETECHNICS events that were scheduled to occur next week in Dallas, Texas.

The increased urgency of the alerts from health officials today and the guidance of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Dallas County Department of Health and Human Services confirmed our decision to not host a large gathering where attendees would be in close proximity. We seek to support their recommended precautions and prevention steps and would not want to contribute to spread of the virus in any way.

We agonized over this difficult and critical decision, but are certain that the number one priority of America’s food retailers, wholesalers and suppliers right now is to look out for the health and safety of their customers, employees and the communities they serve across the country and around the globe.

In particular, we recognize that Future Connect is a program about leadership, and at this time our industry’s leaders must be in their communities to be actively engaged in a time of potential crisis.

FMI is focused on assisting our members in their efforts to communicate with consumers about the influenza outbreak. Consumer information is available on our website at: www.fmi.org.

We are evaluating our options for rescheduling these events and will look forward to sharing more details about the plans for holding the events in the near future. On behalf of the Board of Directors and staff of FMI, my thanks to you for your understanding.

Sincerely,

Leslie G. Sarasin, Esq., CAE
President and Chief Executive Officer

If  you compare the use of the internet today to 6 or 7 years ago it is incredible how much everything has changed. It used to be that we mainly used the internet for our email and the occasional research project but today we use the internet to connect with each other.

With the advance of social media sites and the introduction of the iPhone, the internet has enabled us to be constantly connected to one another. Want to know where the sushi bar is in town? Google it. Are you lost and need directions? Use your iPhone and gps your way out. Wondering if your favorite brand of Kellogg’s cereal is on sale this week? There’s an app for that (and you can buy it online too). How about if your flight is delayed or the cable is out? JetBlue and Comcast are most likely tweeting an update right now.

This technology has worked it’s way into our lives and it doesn’t seem to be going away any time soon. It’s daunting and it’s an information overload. You feel that your brand should have a presence on all of these sites and you’re right. The key is to utilize the tools correctly and maybe not all of them are for your business but if you’re going to venture into the world of social media you need to be aware and do it right. Below are a few ideas on how to successfully employ social media and make it work for you.

Twitter

This is a great tool to communicate with your customers; find out what they’re thinking and what they want. Twitter is very candid, the posts are honest, in real time and can influence a whole lot of people.

Maybe one of your stores is dirty and no one likes to shop there – someone is going to tell you that on Twitter. Maybe one store offers better customer service than another, your customers will tell you. Wondering if you should branch out your online shopping to a new area, ask them and see if there’s a market. Let your customers help you identify what they’re missing and then go do it – it’s like a continual focus group, use it to your advantage!

You can also tweet upcoming promos, store openings, coupons, and anything else you would like the masses to know. Just beware, they will talk back to you. The one thing Twitter is NOT is a one way street. People don’t want to be talked at, they want to be heard. If you’re not willing to listen to your customers and take feedback maybe you should go with a Facebook page. Check out Lunds & Byerly’s for a great example of how to use Twitter.

* Please, please, please do not put your interns in charge of your Twitter account. Do you really want a 20 year old being the voice of your company?

Facebook

Facebook connects people in a different way than Twitter. Customers can join groups and become fans and show support for a product by sending gifts and wearing badges. Another great thing about FB is that it enables you to display far more information. When polled, the majority of FB users that were fans of a brand said that they were so because they wanted insider information;  special deals & coupons that wouldn’t be available normally or alerted earlier than the others.  Maybe you create special promos just for your facebook fans. It’s also a fantastic way to collect email adresses.   Check out Ben & Jerry’s page for a great example of how to use Facebook.

YouTube

YouTube is a little tricky because anyone can broadcast themselves (or your brand). By creating a profile and establishing an official channel you have more control of  what is associated with your brand. YouTube also enables you to broadcast messages and commercials and harness viral marketing. It’s also a great way to build link love, increase page rank and boost your search results. Check out MyWebGrocer’s channel.

Social media has drastically changed the way that brands are able to interact with their customers. Instead of the traditional one way communication it has morphed into a conversation. The consumer has a voice and they want to be heard, the question is whether your brand will embrace them. One thing is for certain, you cannot expect to enter social if you’re not prepared to listen. Relationships are a two way street and the best way to foster a relationship with your customer is to be a courteous listener, gain their trust & respect; remember, you’re in their social space.  Don’t waste their time, you wouldn’t send an email and say nothing right? Same principles apply, don’t tweet just to tweet.

Elise

The Today Show, NPR, CNN, Fox News: they’re all talking about the Swine Flu outbreak. President Obama calls for the country to be alert not alarmed. So how does this affect the grocery retail business? At this moment, you’re probably going through your contingency plans, just to make sure they’re up to date and ready to be activated. Is your online grocery business in those plans?

Because people will still need to eat, but won’t want to go out in public any more than is necessary should this reach epidemic proportions, your online grocery operations will become immensely important. And busy. And probably not a little stressed. So what can you do?

First, ensure you’re well staffed through the situation. This may be a tough task and will be dependent on local means of handling the issue (hours of operation, curfews, etc.) put in place by local governments to protect the general public. So do your key employees (those who will still be at work) know how to fulfill orders? Are you able to quickly add staff to the personal shopper ranks? Now is a good time to ensure you don’t have any gaps in training.

Second, add slots. You can expand the number of orders you allow during an hour and/or extend the number of hours you offer pickup and delivery. Certainly your staffing level will dictate what you can and can’t do. That’s why your response to the first item above is so important.

If this reaches epidemic level, our expectation is that people will use online shopping more than ever, and that spike could happen very quickly. Rest assured, we’re prepared to help you with the services you need from MyWebGrocer.

We can add slots to existing stores (be they pick up or delivery) quickly and efficiently. We just need the information from you. And for chains that already have online grocery stores up and functional, we can very quickly add new stores to your mix. If you’re a chain without online grocery services, it’s a longer process, but we can do a lot for you, too. Just call us and let us know what you’re looking to do.

So keep washing your hands, eating well, and generally taking care of yourselves. With any luck, this will remain what it is today — an outbreak that makes for a good news story. But know that if it gets a lot worse before it gets better, we’ll be here to help you serve your customers!

– Scot

An article published in eMarketer.com on April 27, 2009 reports that a survey conducted by Forrester Research and Shop.org indicates that online sales grew 11% in the first 3 months of 2009. In the survey 70% of consumer brand manufactures (e.g. online shopping advertisers) and Multi-channel Retailers (e.g. Online Grocery Shopping) saw an increase in sales. What was more telling was that 6 out of 10 Web-only merchants saw a decline in sales.

So the sweet spot in this economy for growth are businesses that have a place where consumers can use the Internet to see their favorite brands, shop for the best deals, place orders online, and still know where to find the physical store. Online grocery meets the requirements consumers have for the brick & mortar sweet spot.

Dave Dec

Over hearing a coworker on the phone using a voice recognition machine reminded me of customer service. You know the call – you call your bank or retailer to talk to someone for help and you are directed by an automated voice system. The voice prompts you with choices to hit keys on the phone and takes you down the wrong path and eventually you are disconnected or worse; caught in a cycle of number punching until you rage, “Gimme a person…just gimme a person!”

Most people want to talk directly with a person when services are being provided. For me, I get a creepy feeling when I am in my car in one of those automated car washes. I wonder what if this machine doesn’t stop. Is the 800 number on the wall taking me to someone offshore to get me out of my small town car wash? I want a human there to shut the machine off and let me out!

Though we are obviously talking about online grocery shopping which uses Internet technology, the piece that ensures repeat orders is trust. I trust my personal shopper is a human. She will find what I need and if it’s out of stock she’ll call me. I know when I go pickup the order the guy bringing my order will pack the car and answer any questions I might have. And if I need to ask a question and call the store, a human is sure to answer.

Online grocery shopping provides shoppers great technology and access to wonderful customer service. Gimme a person…gimme a personal shopper.

Dave Dec