Social Media a Top Investment for Grocers: Report

Although they have many established and up-and-coming media vehicles to fund, food retailers are making their most significant investments – both time- and money-wise – in social media outreach, according to a new report from Tampa, Fla.-based marketing and promotions management company Aptaris and Cincinnati-based analytics firm Dunnhumby.

Among retailers surveyed for the report, “2017 Advertising & Promotional Practices Among U.S. Grocery Retailers,” three-quarters are making significant or moderate investments in social media outreach, while only one-quarter are doing so at a minimal level. Companies running upwards of 50 stores are more likely to drive technology in their promotions and advertising, and are more willing to make significant investments here.

“When comparing retailer presence versus total shopper usage of various platforms, grocers have an important opportunity to grow social engagement across vehicles,” the report notes.

Whether handling social media in-house or in partnership with an outside agency, grocers mostly focus on Facebook and Twitter for outreach, with more engaged companies also using Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube. Measuring likes, shares and click-through rates is the chief way to test success.

Next to social media, building digital lists gets the most investment, with six in 10 (60 percent) respondents devoting significant or moderate attention here. This leaves little surprise, as it isn’t easy to acquire and maintain emails or other digital information.

“We have a long way to go, as the penetration is quite low,” one respondent said. “[We] can’t buy lists, so we have to prove ourselves for being relevant so shoppers find value in sharing their information.”

Trailing these two as areas receiving either significant or moderate investment are mobile outreach (52 percent), digital coupons (46 percent) and original video content (33 percent).