This month’s episode features a conversation about pharmacies with Adam Salus. Then Sean Kosednar talks with Anthony Estrada about the international foods aisle. Finally, the show ends with Alex Beggs from Bon Appétit Magazine talking about her dream grocery store.
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Stop trying to be something for everyone
It seemed unlikely that someone presenting about a ski resort at an email conference would relate to the grocery business. The 2019 And Then Some Conference hosted by emfluence had speakers from a variety of fields. One of the keynote speakers was David Amirault. He spoke about turning around the marketing program at the Snowbird ski resort. Amirault talked about putting marketing resources where they would be most effective in the 21st century. You may remember the “one-star” campaign pictured above. Snowbird is known for it’s difficulty. There are very few runs for beginners. The hotel accommodations are not as opulent as other resorts. Snowbird is for serious skiers. None of this stopped people from leaving scores of one star Yelp reviews about how hard the skiing was. This is when Amirault’s team had a break-though. They decided they would “stop trying to be something for everybody.” They knew what Snowbird was and who it was for. Stunning images of death-defying skiing paired with real reviews quickly went viral. Our members need to decide what their store is and what…
Trending Now: August
As summer draws to a close, it’s time for back-to-school. Back-to-school content spans numerous categories. Stores should obviously carry a selection of school supplies. Also think about school lunch staples, and anything that can be easily prepared for lunches. More than ever parents are wanting to make sure their kids have healthy options, so make sure to make those easy to find. Back-to-school doesn’t stop at lunch, however. Smart retailers will feature quick and easy breakfast options as well. The arrival of school means extracurricular activities. Families are starting to have to rush dinner again. Make things easy for them, by providing prepared foods, or meal kits. Anything that will make getting dinner on the table easier will be welcomed this time of year. The end of August means Labor Day Weekend. Obviously, you need to be promoting grilling favorites. Don’t forget about charcoal or propane either. If you have a propane program this would be a great time to get the word out. You can’t have hot dogs and hamburgers without buns and condiments. Make things easy on shoppers…
Grocer Pod – Episode 17
Grocer Pod is back at the VMC Show this month. First, Stan McClintock from FMS shares the results of their Independent Grocer Survey (1:55). Next, Chess Ag’s Dr. Shaye Lewis talked CBD (12:22). Then we had our second doctor, Dr. Aruna Weerasooriya from Texas AM Prairie View who shared his research on Food as Medicine (26:03). We learned about Scan Based Trading with Karen Sickle from Park City Group. If you want to learn more contact David Dunn. Finally, we were joined by Kelsey Bright from SPINS. Kelsey shared how members can monetize all the data they collect.
A podcast for your store? A podcast for your store.
In the US 90 million people spend 6 hours and 37 minutes each week listening to podcasts. Almost 40 percent of people between 25 and 54 listen to one podcast a month. That’s a lot of people. In a Word Camp KC 2019 presentation, Brent Bowen of Sparkade gave a presentation about how a podcast can fit into a brand’s marketing plan. Podcasting is easy and cost effective. More importantly, podcasts are another way to to build brand personality and engage with customers. It’s no secret that people buy from people they trust and like. The intimate nature of listening combined with the ease of consumption make podcasts an ideal part of a brand’s marketing mix. Blogs and videos can only be viewed in a few settings. Customers can listen to podcasts any time. This is what is driving their growth in popularity. Audiences develop a closeness with podcasts that they don’t with other mediums. Hearing the host talk directly to them builds trust. That trust is what leads 65 percent of listeners to buy a product they hear about…
Episode 16
On this month’s show we are talking Shelf Stable Juice with Brian Adams (2:53). Followed by Melissa Davis discussing the new look Learning and Development department (8:36). Finally, Jessica Magnussen drops in to talk about the new price changes in DSG, and things members can do to bring down costs and grow sales at the same time (16:10)
Episode 15
This month is all about the Compete magazine. The latest issue dives into digital marketing. Sean sits down with three authors. First up is Lisa Nelson to talk about websites (4:43). Then Morgane Freeman gives a snap shot of Instagram (11:43). Finally, Kurt Kloeblen talks about the issue as a whole and gives five things retailers can do in the digital space (19:59).
Trending Now: April
Trends in April were dominated by holidays. Some are official, and some aren’t. Major League Baseball’s opening day may not officially be a holiday, but plenty of people treat it as such. Baseball’s grueling six month season can cause all by the most passionate fans to tune out, but everyone loves the romance of opening day. It is no surprise that ballpark and tailgate fare are popular at the start of April. Hot dogs, burgers, chips, Cracker Jack I don’t care if I ever get back, are all obvious things to push in early April, especially if your store is near a baseball stadium. Easter and Passover also fall in April. Expect shoppers to be stocking up for large family meals. Easter traditions vary. Some families opt for a brunch, while others go for the full meal. This means you need to promote a wide range of items. The one thing that most everyone will be looking for is eggs. Dying Easter eggs is obviously very popular year after year. Customers look to by larger quantities than usual. With that…
Episode 14
We are at the Innovation Showcase this month. The show was great. There was no way to talk to all the amazing vendors. We did talk to Melanie Greben from Conagra Brands about snacking (:54), Pat Hughes from eGrowcery on how to optimize your labor force for online shopping (5:34), Steve Mehmert from T4 Solutions about e-commerce delivery solutions. Finally, we talked to one of the main speakers at the show, Jason Dorsey (26:38). Jason studies generational differences, and how retailers can harness those differences both in terms of sales and workforce management. Apologies for the sound issue on the conversation with Jason, but the information was too good to leave out.
2019 Innovation Showcase Preview
The Innovation Showcase is March 25-27 at the Overland Park Convention Center in Overland Park, KS. Sean sits down with Kurt Kloeblen to preview the show. Visit awgshowcase.com for more information and to download the app.