Starting with the pandemic and now a North American-wide grocery store labor shortage, more and more Asian grocery stores in Canada are turning online and to digital marketing as a way to leverage the ways they can attract new customers, keep customers loyal, and build their bottom lines.
The trend of online grocery shopping is increasing, with 46.9% of respondents in the US saying they are planning to buy groceries online in the next 12 months, compared with only 25.8% in 2018 (1). Similarly, in Canada, the surge in online shopping is strong, with more than 1 in 5 people predicting to do even more online grocery shopping (2).
Due to numbers like these, more and more traditional grocery brands are investing in eCommerce and mobile applications to embrace the current and increasing wave of online grocery shopping. In Canada, Loblaw Companies Ltd. is a key leader and early adopter of online groceries. Other Canadian grocers are also riding the trend wave, including Sobeys, Metro and Costco Canada. The online world has also opened doors for ethnic grocery stores to enter more homes, such as the expansion of Asian grocery stores through T&T Supermarket, Nations Fresh Foods, Oceans Fresh Food Market, Sungiven Foods.
To learn even more about the online grocery shopping trend
If you’re a grocer thinking of taking your grocery store online or boosting your existing online presence, you’ll be happy to know that using the right online marketing strategies is powerful for attracting customers and keeping them engaged and loyal. Before marketing your grocery stores, you’ll want to create a complete marketing strategy plan, and if you’re in Canada and near Mississauga, a Digital Marketing agency in Mississauga is a great choice for you.
How To Market A Grocery Store #1: Create and optimize your eCommerce store
The most important asset
in content marketing is their niche expertise
Before beginning your online marketing venture for your grocery stores, you’ll need to build your website, which preferably includes eCommerce functionality. Here are just a few steps you should follow:
- Get to know your target market and analyze your competition for what is already working in your geographic delivery area
- Create all your eCommerce features and functions to cover product listings, taxes, billing, etc.
- Choose the delivery model/partner you will use: i.e. Instacart, DeliverGrocery, Shipt, Thrive Market, etc., and integrate it into your website.
- Create extra convenience and profit-making items for your store such as gift cards, sales or promotion sections, etc.
- Optimize your website for the mobile experience
- Develop an interrelated mobile app
How To Market A Grocery Store #2: Implement Effective Traffic Building Strategies
Maximize existing customer traffic: Existing customers are the backbone of your business. With more and more grocers extending their delivery reach, you’ll need to work hard to keep in front of your customers and encourage them to return. Just a few marketing methods that can work include:
- Use returning customer specific online promotions
- Use coupons optimized for returning traffic i.e. get a 5% off on your next visit
- Offer a special coupon for those who haven’t purchased in awhile
- Offer points-based rewards that keep them coming back to build their points
Grow organic traffic: Organic free traffic is a great thing! But remember, organic traffic generation takes time and dedication. Here are a few ways to build organic traffic that you must absolutely use as part of your overall marketing tactics plan:
- Use social media to build your brand (not to sell your products)
- Create a strong email marketing strategy (that keeps customers engaged)
- Build a solid Search Engine Optimization plan (Emphasizing the optimization of local SEO services)
- Encourage social sharing in every online article, coupon, promotion, etc.
Drive traffic with Google and Facebook ads: After all our years of digital marketing experience, our top go-to for scale-upscale updates is always PPC (pay-per-click) campaigns. Here are a few tips for your PPC campaigns:
- Take advantage of display remarketing campaigns (remarketing is where an ad is shown to people who have interacted with your brand or product)
- Test out smart shopping campaigns over standard shopping campaigns
- Use high-quality images
- Get and showcase reviews
- Use attractive promotions
- Use limited-time offers
How To Market A Grocery Store #3: Build a strong relationship with your customers
In the retail grocery industry, it is important to capture customer information, keep in touch with them, keep them coming back, and attract and retain new customers. Here are some ideas to get you started:
- Create your email system and an email marketing game plan, including both promotional campaigns and nurturing campaigns that add value for the customer, such as how-to videos, recipe cards, weekly flyers and so on
- Setup email campaigns for abandoned carts to bring people back to their carts
- Create a social media engagement plan
- Build up a social media community to encourage customers to share their information with others, such as using online contests
- Generate and deliver online coupon codes and other promotions
How To Market A Grocery Store #4: Leverage App Technology & Capabilities
Canada’s largest Asian grocery store, T&T Supermarket, took advantage of digital technology by launching a mobile app in 2021 with over 10,000 products. The app helps customers get the latest promotions and sales, plus allows T&T to offer additional payment options such as WeChat Pay and Alipay (3).
Here are some attractive grocery store app functions you’ll want to consider:
- Push notifications: deliver promotions directly to your customer’s phones (push notifications receive 90% open rates)
- Coupon offers
- Cashback for completing surveys/watching promo videos
- Personalized offers
- App loyalty program/points/ frequent buyer promotions
- Add product comparison features
- Reviews
- Recipes
- Product Education
- Saved grocery lists
How To Market A Grocery Store #5: Analyze Data…Learn…Grow
Last but not least is to use advanced AI and digital marketing analytics tools to regularly test what is and isn’t working. Let these analyses guide you on what to improve. The beauty of digital marketing is that almost any tool you use will include a performance component. If you closely monitor your stats and numbers, you will be able to clearly see patterns and trends that will help you make smart decisions on what to do more or less. At the very least, we suggest using Google Analytics, social media analytics, email analytics, and paid ad metrics such as conversions and ROI (Return On Investment).
Conclusion
The above grocery store marketing strategies and tactics will not only help you attract customers online and offline, but also keep them engaged and loyal. Ready to get started? Book a free consultation with Noah Digital’s marketing expert.
FAQ
What marketing strategies are used by supermarkets?Supermarkets use various marketing strategies such as loyalty programs, sales promotions, product placement, and targeted advertising. These strategies aim to attract customers, increase sales, and improve brand loyalty.
How can I promote my supermarket online?To promote your supermarket online, consider using social media, email marketing, targeted advertising, and a user-friendly website. Offer discounts and special promotions, build partnerships with local businesses and engage with customers through surveys and feedback to drive traffic and build brand loyalty.
How do small grocery stores attract customers?Small grocery stores can attract customers through local advertising, social media marketing, special promotions and discounts, community events, and loyalty programs. They can also build a loyal customer base by providing excellent customer service, offering unique and high-quality products, and establishing a solid online presence.
How can a small grocery store increase sales?A small grocery store can increase sales by implementing loyalty programs, offering discounts and special promotions, expanding product offerings, improving customer service, and using targeted advertising. Additionally, creating an online presence and engaging with customers through social media can also help drive sales.
What are the 3 advantages of grocery shopping online?Three advantages of grocery shopping online are convenience, flexibility, and access to a wider variety of products. Online grocery shopping allows customers to shop from the comfort of their own homes, at any time, and compare prices and products easily. It can also save time and reduce the need for physical shopping trips.
What are some best practices for measuring the success of online grocery store marketing efforts?Measuring the success of online grocery store marketing efforts involves tracking key metrics such as website traffic, conversion rates, customer engagement, and sales revenue. Utilizing analytics tools and conducting regular evaluations of marketing campaigns is important for improving and adjusting strategies.