Last updated on May 13th, 2022
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Shoppers are busy. Shoppers are tired. And shoppers are discouraged by the rising cost of feeding their families. Their journey starts at home, in the office, in the school pick up line, etc., thinking about what is for dinner, where to shop and how far a paycheck can be stretched. Are retailers thinking like their shoppers? Are retailers reaching individual shoppers in the midst of busy everyday life and inspiring the start of the shopping journey?
The weekly ad has done the job for 100 years, but it’s time for a change!
For years retailers have used the weekly ad as a means to drive foot traffic and incentivize shoppers to choose their store. While these ads have been successful in the past, they do not come without challenges – challenges that are becoming harder and harder to overlook.
The journey that merchandising goes through to acquire the deals and then plan the promotions that go on the weekly ad is not only tedious but also lends itself to poor transparency in understanding the ROI of the activity.
In addition to the time-suck associated with traditional weekly ads, the past couple of years have forced retailers to think differently, primarily because the distribution of paper ads has plummeted while the costs associated with them continue to rise. Retailers are no longer reaching the audience they could in the past.
Digital to the rescue
Enter digital distribution. Many retailers are jumping on ad platforms in the hope that they can entice shoppers in their areas to click on the ad media and visit their ‘digital ad’. Clearly, this is the way of the future and digital channels offer the unique advantages of being dynamic, engaging, targeted and relatively cheap. But what about that mom in the school pick-up line? She sees the weekly ad on her phone. This is convenient, but it advertises products she has no interest in. Is her retailer thinking about her journey? Is there more the retailer can do?
Of course, there is! It starts with data and ends with more engaged, happy, and valuable customers
There is an opportunity to truly enhance that digital ad with promotions that are uniquely targeted to the shopper who is visiting the site. By combining the knowledge of the shopper’s purchase history with the visit, retailers can create a truly personalized weekly ad.
What’s more, the promotions can be designed, created and executed by a smart, autonomous marketing platform that has no limits on what products can be offered on promotion. Think of the hours saved in operations and the delight to that mom receiving savings on products she wants to buy. And this is just the beginning of what is possible.
Illustrated below are the results of personalized marketing campaigns across two regional retailers where the promotions were tailored based on the shopper’s purchase profile and not restricted to products that were on sale. Initially, this may sound scary as it feels like the retailer has little control and is largely footing the bill for the discounts. While this is true in part, the reality is that shoppers feel a stronger connection to the store and are encouraged to spend more when the store truly understands their needs.
- 38.2 percent growth in the number of categories shopped;
- 23.6 percent growth in the number of trips per shopper;
- 16.6 percent growth in the spend per shopper;
- 12.1 percent growth in shoppers who activated an offer for the first time; and
- 11.8 percent growth in the number of shoppers.
The good news for retailers is that a brave few have already taken the leap and started using this level of personalization. With the right service provider, buy-in from their entire organization and a little bit of faith, they were pleasantly surprised to see that this type of personalization not only delights customers but also delivers unbelievable ROI. They have paved the way for other retailers to get on board and unlock the power of their data.
Personalized offers such as these align with the expectations of relevancy and personalization that shoppers find in the digital world. No one has time to sort through offers in hopes of finding one that might be relevent. Retailers have the data to deliver offers that are exactly right for each customer. Think like a shopper, market like a boss.
Birdzi was founded with a vision to make the shopping experience “Smart, Personal and Seamless” for the shopper while empowering retailers and brands to easily and intelligently connect with the shopper at the right time and place with the right message.
For more information, visit birdzi.com.
