Dive Brief:
- The U.S. Supermarket Shopper Digital Update, released by the Retail Feedback Group, found that just 25% of shoppers are connected to their primary grocery store on social media, according to Grocery Headquarters.
- The report showed the social media sites most frequented by shoppers include Facebook (89%), YouTube (53%) Twitter (30%), Pinterest (29%) and Instagram (28%).
- More than half of shoppers — 56% — interact with their primary food store on one or more digital platforms. These include looking at the digital circular (65%), researching special promotions (48%) and building grocery lists (46%).
Dive Insight:
Marketers almost universally praise social media as the way to reach more customers, but grocery retailers don’t seem to be establishing those all-important relationships as much as they should. A report from Boston Retail Partners last August found that 81% of all retailers using social media to engage with customers believe their processes need improvement.
More than 23% of consumers between the ages of 18-32 said they prefer to learn about the different sales and see customer reviews on social media sites, so it’s important to set up a strong social media presence.
Recent statistics show that 73% of marketers are increasing their use of video, and many analysts believe that’s the best way for grocery to attract more people to their social media pages.
Offering coupons and special deals for those that follow and like their sites is a great way for grocery stores to improve their engagement. Having prizes once a week for someone who tweets about a shopping experience or posts a photo on Instagram can also increase the numbers.