Notes and Thoughts on Grocery 2.0

According to a recent survey by Break Media, most men don’t mind online advertising. In fact, online ads increased brand awareness and regularly influence purchases among the 18-34 year old male demographic.

60% of survey respondents said although they might not click, they notice the companies that are advertising. Almost 40% of respondents said they pay more attention to online ads than those in other forms of traditional media. 47% of men who saw an ad online purchased the item at retail and 39% purchased something online after viewing an online ad.

What about women? After all, consulting firm A. T. Kearny estimates women make 80% of all consumer purchasing decisions.

According to Nielsen/NetRatings and the Washington Post, over 60% of online working women recommended using the Internet in an advertising campaign aimed at reaching them.

The majority of respondents in Wed Ad.vantage’s Survey of Online Women’s Reactions to Advertising said they don’t mind online advertising when they still feel in control of their advertising experience. When asked about the type of online ads they find most useful, 47% of all women said display ads. Conversely, video ads and pop-up/pop-under ads were called least useful.

What’s more, women depend on advertising for research. 56% of women will respond to online ads when they are reading a newsletter or article and want more information about the items or services mentioned and 54% said they were likely to respond to product information ads.

With men and women not only spending more time online, but looking favorably to online advertising, there has never been a better time to advertise online.

Rachel

A recent study conducted by consumer web analytics provider iPerceptions Inc. revealed that consumers online are more likely to click on traditional display advertisements than other types of interactive advertising. The study found that 25% of respondents were likely to click on simple text ads, 20% were likely to click on right banners, and 12% were likely to click on top banners.

User-generated feedback from over 14,000 visitors indicated that despite the hype, marketers do not need to focus on video in lieu of traditional interactive formats such as text and banner advertising. Only 11% of consumers said they were likely to click on video ads. They were all under the age of 25.

“Retail groups are predicting the toughest holiday season since 1991, so marketers need to make sure every dollar spent on advertising delivers an end result,” said Jonathan Levitt, vice president of marketing at iPerceptions. “Our research shows that inexpensive banner and text ads are still preferred among web consumers. By having a direct dialog with consumers, we are able to know – with certainty – what consumers want and expect from their online experience.”

Marketers looking to re-distribute or tighten budgets don’t have to worry. With a traditional online display advertising campaign as part of their marketing mix, they’re sure to not only reach engaged consumers, but reach them when they are most interested. Add to this finding the ongoing proliferation of niche websites and the answer of where to go to reach your target seems simple.

Go to the targeted sites that deliver loyal, involved audiences and invest in display advertising.

Rachel

What is it? Social Networking is a structure of links between nodes(ie often people) that can be browsed or searched like a map to help you understand the respective relationships connecting these nodes/people together. LinkedIn, FaceBook, and MySpace are some popular examples.

Here is a good overview video from CommonCraft on Social Networking.

Why is Social Networking important in the Grocery industry?

We all want to understand, engage, and retain our customers better. Consumers increasingly are spending more time on social networking sites and less time using traditional media. A recent UK study found, “This gain in popularity(of Social Networking sites) comes from the expense of other activities and media. The main activities showing a decline in time spent…, watching broadcast television (-12%), reading print (books are -10%, magazines are -8%, newspapers are -7%), visiting other web sites, and playing games. Among teens, the decline is even more pronounced with -32% less time spent on homework/work, -21% less time spent on TV, and -14% less time spent reading books.”

Ok, so I understand that some of my grocery customers and many of my younger customers use social networking sites but how do I engage them?
Here are three things that you can do tomorrow to engage your grocery consumer in the social networking space.