There’s a lot going on in a grocery store. There are thousands of products to advertise, both new and old, specialty and every-day. There are service offerings like fresh butchers, floral arrangers, and gift cards. There are programs like online shopping or email newsletters. All of these components compete for both consumer and retailer attention. As a retailer, it sometimes gets old to talk about the same things over and over again. But, while all of these features of stores are standard for those working in the store, it’s important to remind consumers of the products, services, and programs that help define the value the store provides to them.
Define Value
If you ask independent grocery retailers what value they provide to consumers, the answers align around the same core features: product variety, customer service, and right price. Others that play a factor are convenience and community involvement. No one wants to slack on any of those. Yet, if everyone in the market is using all of them as their value proposition to consumers, its good to help define what you mean when you make those promises. Does variety of product mean you carry the largest selection of gluten free items? Does right price mean you double coupons or match prices? Does convenience mean you offer online shopping and deliver? No matter how you address the different factors consumers weigh when choosing a grocery store, if you aren’t telling them why they should shop your store, you may be missing out.
Tell People
Now that you’ve aligned your store features with the needs of the consumers, you have to tell those consumers how you’re addressing those needs. Many grocery retailers do this through their print ad. While that’s fine, it’s just scratching the surface. Messaging these days bombards consumers. One message in one ad one week isn’t going to cut it. Your real true value propositions need to be messaged throughout all of your different consumer touchpoints. With most grocery retailers still doing 96%, if not 100%, of sales in store, this means getting your messaging in store. Clear, concise signs help consumers understand. Not everything needs a catchy name or branding. In-store audio messaging can be another venue to think about. Then, don’t forget about your website, emails, and on social media. Tell people what you want them to know. No one reads minds or can remember it all, especially when there’s so much to absorb.
Then Tell Them Again
A mistake I often see retailers make is they roll out a program and plaster information everywhere. Then, a month after the program or service is rolled out, they move to something else. Creating evergreen content around the most important features of the store is imperative. Evergreen content conveys the basic messaging and can be used during week one or week 84 of the program. It’s consistent and concise and reminds customers about the program. Scheduling these evergreen messages on a consistent timeline is important. These messages could include: a reminder to sign up for email, that the store supports digital coupons, that gift cards are available, or that the butcher cuts meat to order. There’s surely a long list of products, programs, and services provided by the store. Making a list of them and having the content handy makes everyone’s life easier, especially the digital team’s!
Independent grocery retailers offer valuable features to their customers yet sometimes take for granted that everyone knows what these features are. Sure, the bulk of the customer base is made up of consistent shoppers, but there are still always people coming into the store for the first time. Even for those loyal ones, there’s just too much going on to remember everything. Reminding everyone why they’ve chosen to shop with you on a consistent basis is important. It might just make them coming back for more.
