Food Lion, Hannaford Bros., Bloom and Sweetbay are going live with a new interactive online circular program that allows customers of the Delhaize America chains to search weekly specials and recipes, view how-to videos and create an online shopping list manager.
David Palmer, director of loyalty marketing at Food Lion, said the new program created by Adplex of Houston, Tex., "gives us a direct way to communicate one on one with our customers, unlike anything we've ever been able to do through traditional marketing methods... in the end, we will be able to create meaningful customer-specific offers based on the individual's unique interests and shopping habits. Our ultimate goal is to create a Web-based experience that is more enjoyable and relevant to our customers that keeps them coming back week after week. Our VirtualStore is just the beginning of this process."
Galen Walters, CEO of adplex, said, "VirtualStore gives customers an instant-value, instant-gratification loyalty program. That's because retailers can provide individualized offers tailored specifically to each customer's unique interests, desires and needs. Historically, one-to-one marketing has been expensive, time-consuming and cumbersome. VirtualStore is a revolutionary breakthrough because for the first time, the most effective form of advertising is also the most economical, easy to implement and efficient."
Bruce Daman, director of brand communication, Hannaford Bros., said, "We have a large amount of consumers who are located in remote regions - areas that are not cost-effective to reach through traditional circular mailers. Our new online circular... allows us to easily access these customers. We've created more than a Web site, it's an online community and destination."
Discussion Questions: Do you see online technology such as that described here as having the capacity to redefine the relationship between retailer and consumer? What elements do you see as being necessary if these types of programs are going to be truly relevant to shoppers?