Notes and Thoughts on Grocery 2.0

I remember my mother sitting on the living room floor on Sundays, spread out with the weekly circular in front of her, planning our family’s shopping list for the week.

“Woo hoo! Another deal! Special K–two for one this week!” she’d announce gloriously, while clipping out the coupon and adding it to the collection she carried around in a tattered envelope in her purse. “Woo hoo! Fifty cents off Quilted Northern!”

Flash forward 25 years, and here I am doing the very same thing…on my iPhone.

Yesterday, MyWebGrocer and ShopRite launched the very first weekly specials iPhone App. We’re all very excited about it here at MWG because it’s a product we all believe in and use personally.

Click on image below view a video demo of the App

The App is the latest incarnation of MyWebGrocer’s efforts to make ShopRite’s customers’ lives easier. It functions as a portable circular and invites consumers to “start saving” before they even arrive at the store by browsing hundreds of items instantly. Among its many groundbreaking features, ShopRite Weekly Specials enables consumers to see what’s on sale in real time at their regular ShopRite store. Once they select an item, it literally tumbles into their shopping list, which is neatly organized by category with pictures, descriptions and real time prices. The App syncs and downloads store specials directly to an iPhone or iPod Touch and can even sync with customers’ shopping lists at ShopRite.com.

At the gym this morning, while plugging along on an excercise bike, I put together a dinner menu for tomorrow night based on the current sale items at ShopRite . I planned the meal around what’s on sale, and I was able to stay within budget my because the App gave me a running total of my basket price. When I got to the office, I printed out a paper copy of my list, and I will stop at the store tonight and pick up my groceries after work. I saved myself time and money, all while burning calories on the bike! I felt so good I added a box of chololate cookies to my shopping list…hey! I’d earned it!

Our App doesn’t try to be “all things to all people…” and I like that. This App focuses on what I want to know: what’s on sale at my local store. It’s simple and efficient and it gets the job done.

Twenty-five years later, I am “clipping coupons” just like mom. As I click around on my iPhone, I can understand the excitement she felt there on the living room floor clipping for “deals.” And I’m doing it from the gym…bonus.

So I might as well just say it: I am turning into my mother. Woo-hoo!

-Alison

The Burlington Free Press recently ran a story on how “Companies get social with marketing”.  One major take away, if it can work for grocery it can and will work for your business.

MyWebGrocer was the feature for this story:

“Facebook and Twitter are fun, but they can also make a business thrive.

So say Alec Newcomb, vice president of MyWebGrocer, and Rebecca Roose, a project manager with the Colchester firm. MyWebGrocer provides digital services for leading retail grocers such as Shoprite, Lowes Food Stores, Big Y and Food Lion. Newcomb said the lessons he’s learned helping grocery chains can apply to almost any business.

Social media helps level the playing field, Newcomb said. There’s no need to spend thousands of dollars on an ad campaign when a business can use social media to do its bidding.”

Continue the full online story here

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