Shopper Marketing - June 2017 - 36
| HEADING HEADINGREPORT SPECIAL out local companies using shelf tags and uses signage to highlight sourcing of ingredients from local farmers and their families. In addition, Kroger continues to roll out storewide events (e.g., Taste of Italy) to introduce shoppers to new cuisines and ingredients. Some of this content now appears online at the recently launched website, KrogerStories.com. The idea is to provide a digital outlet with background and insights into the retailer's operation, one that helps create an emotional connection to the Kroger brand and gives shoppers more reason to come back to the store. "It is an interesting way to highlight their employees online and to try to make that emotional connection for those shoppers who may not be visiting the stores as much as they used to," notes Abdo. Apparently, all of these efforts have begun to pay off. According to a March report from investment firm Barclays, Kroger's renewed push behind its natural and organic ingredients is one of the main culprits behind the recent traffic About the Sponsor 36 y SHOPPER MARKETING JUNE 2017 declines at Whole Foods. The report estimated that Whole Foods lost between 9 million and 14 million transactions over the last six quarters and stated that Kroger is "a direct beneficiary" of those losses. Kroger's natural and organic product sales in fiscal 2016, which ended in January, hit $16 billion. That topped Whole Foods' sales of $15.8 billion over the past 12 months, according to figures from both companies. Kroger cannot rest on its laurels, however, particularly with Amazon's encroachment into grocery set to widen with the rollout of Amazon Go this year. [Editor's note: A retail intimacy feature on Amazon.com is planned for the August issue of Shopper Marketing.] Going forward, Kroger will rely heavily on its strengths - building shopper loyalty and creating a satisfying in-store experience - as it continues to advance its e-commerce program, says Abdo. "They're aiming for success at a higher level than we've seen at any time in the SM recent past," he says. Catapult is a conversion marketing agency, where branding and buying are part of a total solution. Catapult's data-driven approach identifies the core, actionable insights that inspire brilliant creative with the power to convert consumers into shoppers, shoppers into buyers, and buyers into loyal advocates. Catapult delivers channel-agnostic solutions that are brand savvy, retailer smart, and digitally enabled. Catapult is an Epsilon brand. Visit them at www.catapultmarketing.com and on Twitter @catapultmktg.
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