How to get customers in your cart…
If there is one industry that’s thriving through the current economic crisis it’s retail grocery. Demand is inelastic for this essential business but while opportunities are ripe for grocery chains the level of competition is fierce. Price-matching is standard practice so setting your brand apart from the rest requires a more focused digital marketing strategy. Follow the tips below to establish yourself as a top shelf retailer in your area.
5 Essential Digital Marketing Tips for Grocery Retail Stores in 2020 and Beyond
1. Set Up a Google My Business Page for Each Location
This is unequivocally the top priority and an integral part of your search engine optimization (SEO) campaign. If you haven’t already, set up and optimize a distinct Google My Business (GMB) for every one of your locations and indicate the service area for each. This will help customers find you on the Google Map and local area search. For instance, thousands of customers per month perform Google search using “near me” (i.e. “fresh produce near me”, etc.). Retailers with 100% completed GMB pages are the ones with the best shot at capturing these searches (and more) along with corresponding customers.
2. Optimize for Online Sales
Revenue models have changed drastically in 2020. It is no longer a luxury for grocery retailers to offer online sales, it’s expected. Remember that convenience is the cornerstone of a successful grocery shopping experience so your business needs to adapt.
With limits on how many customers can enter an establishment customers are being forced into lineups. You already know that they hate to wait in line, and while recent events have made them more understanding, their patience will only last so long. In addition, many customers are not yet comfortable with in-store shopping experiences, which is another reason to evolve to offer efficient online sales.
Your system must be integrated and/or updated to include all products on the shelf. It must provide a seamless online shopping experience and include features such as points-based rewards and automatic reorders and be able to recognize bulk purchase discounts along with limits on sales or high-demand items. In short, your online sales model must rival that of any successful eCommerce website, and follow the same digital marketing best practices which we have outlined here.
3. Optimize for All Products
As mentioned above, your website must include a complete inventory of products by store location. This is not only for eCommerce purposes. By having a webpage for each SKU you will be able to optimize the website with supportive content (product ingredients/features) which will help the page (product) be found on Google search. Why is this so important?
Not everyone performs general search for “grocery store” to find what they are looking for. They are using very specific search terms to find products near them, such as “fresh pineapples near me” or “instant coffee near me” and so forth. Customers performing specific search of this nature are much further along in the purchase process and are far more likely to buy. Make sure you have dedicated product pages in place to capture them. They will either purchase online or head over to your store.
4. Communicate Additional Services
Grocery chains sell more than groceries. Many offer related services beyond grocery pickup and delivery. Your locations may also provide catering, floral arrangement, carpet cleaning, on-site banking, on-site dining, automobile servicing, and more. Each of these additional services should be represented via separate webpages and optimized for search and social media shares.
5. Encourage Subscriptions
Building a loyal customer base is critical to sustainable success for a grocery retailer. Fully stocked shelves and great in-store customer service remain to be important, but to capture the modern consumer you need to take steps by encouraging digital subscriptions. Of course, customers won’t give up their email unless there is something in it for them. Points-based reward systems are standard for grocery chains, but you want them to opt in for other reasons too. Grab website visitor emails by making it clear to users that by providing their email they will receive the following:
- Access to subscriber exclusive coupons and flyers.
- Access to other subscriber exclusive promotions such as free delivery and more.
- First access to information (and preorders) regarding new and/or high-demand product release dates.
- Other (as applicable).
While everything above will increase your customer base significantly, it also requires investment. Your website needs to be updated and optimized, content needs to be created, and you need to shape PPC, SEO, social media, and email campaigns to account for it all. Contact Strategis Consulting Group to fill your carts with more shoppers.