Giant Food Hosts Advanced In-Store Digital Platform

Unilever/Perch displays promote inclusion, wellness and care in beauty products

4/5/2022

Now at Washington, D.C.-area Giant Food stores, an integrated end cap from Unilever and Perch has a glowing logo and lit shelves, which are eye-catching and aim to drive further attention to the Dove brand.

Washington, D.C.-area Giant Food stores now feature a next-generation in-store product engagement platform from Unilever and retail marketing platform Perch. The interactive end caps in the beauty section incorporate a digital screen that automatically senses what products shoppers touch to respond with videos and information about that same product, without the customer having to scan a QR code, touch a screen, download an app or take any additional action. With Perch’s “lift-and-learn” technology, shoppers can get more information about Unilever skin care products just by touching them, as if they had clicked on them online.

“Our goal for this launch was to have a product and brand education platform that communicates Unilever’s positive beauty vision for people and planet, promoting inclusion and wellness, with Dove being the appropriate brand for this partnership,” explained Christina DiPietro, Unilever’s team lead for Ahold Delhaize USA, parent company of Giant Food. “With Perch’s smart shelf display, our products can deliver the right product message at the right time, so the Dove brand can educate and connect more deeply with its customers. We are thrilled to launch this platform in select Giant Food stores and bring this partnership to life with Perch and Giant connecting shoppers with our iconic Dove brand.”

The integrated end cap has a glowing logo and lit shelves, which are eye-catching and aim to drive further attention to the Dove brand. Perch’s digital engagement platform employs computer vision to detect product behavior at the shelf, anonymously detecting the presence of shoppers, what products they touch, and what content they engage with to bring in videos, ratings and reviews and product information for every product on the shelf, uniting the digital content shoppers want with the physical products on retail shelves. According to Perch’s case studies across beauty, CPGs, accessories, department stores and grocer, its AI-powered approach spurs five to 10 times the engagement of traditional digital signage and 30%-188% sales increases.

“We are excited to extend our partnership with Unilever to promote Dove products after such a successful earlier trial driving triple-digit sales lift. Dove’s brand message is inspiring and we are excited to help shoppers better connect with their category-leading products,” said Trevor Sumner, CEO of New York-based Perch, whose other customers include Johnson & Johnson, Nestlé Purina, Estee Lauder, Macy’s, Coty, and Invisalign. “It’s exciting to see visionaries like Unilever use our technology to create better shopper experiences and more meaningful connections with its customers.”

In addition to Dove, Englewood Cliffs, N.J.-based Unilever USA’s brand portfolio includes Knorr, Hellmann’s, Lipton, Magnum, Axe, Ben & Jerry’s, Degree, Dollar Shave Club, Q-tips, Seventh Generation, St. Ives, Suave, TRESemmé and Vaseline.

Last year, Meijer rolled out an in-store product engagement platform for pet products from Perch and Purina at 200 of the Midwest retailer’s stores.

Based in Landover, Md., Giant Food operates 164 supermarkets in Virginia, Maryland, Delaware and the District of Columbia, with approximately 20,000 associates. Included within the 164 stores are 152 full-service pharmacies, 83 full-service PNC Banks and 26 Starbucks locations. Parent company Ahold Delhaize USA is No. 10 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2021 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America. Grand Rapids, Mich.-based Meijer, operating more than 255 supercenters and grocery stores throughout Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky and Wisconsin, is No. 18 on PG’s list.