Giant Eagle Debuts Own Retail Media Network
Giant Eagle is officially in the retail media network game. The grocer is launching its own Leap Media Group, designed to provide highly relevant experiences that benefit both brands and guests.
The rollout of this proprietary retail media network is akin to the ones deployed by larger chains. Giant Eagle opted to create a program internally instead of collaborating with a technology partner to best harness the capabilities and the experiences of customers and CPG partners.
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“At Giant Eagle, we are constantly innovating and refining how we engage with our loyal customers and work with our brand partners. While we’ve long been a pioneer in customer loyalty, and have cultivated relationships with three generations of shoppers, today’s consumer is searching for the best products in new ways,” explained Damian Scott, EVP, retail media and front-end digital for Giant Eagle. “Brands have recognized this, too, and are shifting their media spend away from traditional platforms to retail networks since they provide more measurable and addressable results. With Leap, we have accomplished something no other food retailer of our size has by providing a best-in-class retail media network that allows brands to better engage with and improve the shopping experience for what is essentially a new audience. Our hybrid model allows engagement to occur across any of our owned omnichannel properties, online or offline.”
As it built and now leverages the Leap Media Group, Giant Eagle uses data from its loyalty program. More than four million households are part of the myPerks rewards platform. According to the grocer, the new retail media network has a general reachable audience spanning more than 14 million consumers and provides brands with an opportunity to connect with shoppers across the ominchannel footprint.
The customized network’s solutions include in-store, out-of-home, social, influencer content, traditional and connected TV and other experiences in the shopping journey. Brands can position their messages to segments that are most impactful to them and also create personalized offers and seasonal programs.
Giant Eagle reports that the fledgling Leap Media Group has garnered early interest from brands like Nestlē, Coca-Cola, General Milles and Mondelēz. “The Giant Eagle partnership marketing team and Mondelēz sales, digital and shopper teams have established a best-in-class test/learn and apply partnership during the past two years. This collaborative approach has resulted in the creation of strong omni experiences while continuing to optimize to increase engagement, drive conversion and build a solid measurement plan,” expressed the team at Mondelēz in a written testimonial.
Giant Eagle operates approximately 480 stores throughout western Pennsylvania, north central Ohio, northern West Virginia, Maryland and Indiana. The Pittsburgh, Pa.-based company is No. 40 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer's 2023 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America. PG also named the company as one of its Top 10 Most Sustainable Grocers.
