There is more passion for food than ever. There is more interest in social chatter than ever. So why wouldn’t grocers be more popular than ever on social media? Well, a couple are very popular. They are typically not traditional-format grocers, though. They are the ones that have established very compelling brand loyalty. And I’m not describing those mainstream grocers whose frequent-shopper discount program has 99 percent penetration in their transactions. I mean those with real loyalty. Those that shoppers pass by other stores to shop. Those retailers have cracked the code on brand passion and have enthusiastic followers on social channels waiting to see the next recipes, specials, etc. It’s a culture that takes time and leadership commitment to develop.

How can we believe either of these surveys when their results differ so dramatically? Consumers don’t engage with with retailers through social media because there’s little value for their time. Grocer websites, apps and social outreach should be used to provide information (product reviews, recipes, promotions, coupons, etc.). Grocers should link promotions, shopping lists, coupons, check out and loyalty cards to make the shopping experience easier and to save customers’ time. People don’t use grocers’ websites and apps because they are not useful.

The question of following grocers is essentially the same question for most retailers — why would a customer want to follow any single retailer? There have been numerous studies on mobile phone apps. While consumers download dozens, they only use five to seven apps on a weekly basis. Banking apps fall in this top tier, as well as social media like Facebook and Instagram. If a grocer’s app is to break into the top tier of apps that consumers actually use, then it must provide a value-add for the consumer in terms of: loyalty offers/discounts, rich content that is relevant or some kind of engagement that is valued by the customer (e.g. related to a cause or event). Most grocers simply do not spend enough time and resources to be able create enough value-add that consumers will use the app on a regular basis. Would you rather go to a grocer’s app to look at a couple of recipes, or go to Instagram and look at thousands of recipes as well as photos of how… Read more »

This is an interesting but puzzling topic. I had never thought of following a particular grocer online. Maybe that is because I live in the state of Publix. My wife has her lists. The specials come out on Thursday and she goes from there. Most grocery shoppers know where to go for what; meats one place, staples another. I do not think social media is going to sway the primary shopper’s opinion.

Consumers want to engage with social media because it provides a beautiful, visual forum for storytelling. Currently, it seems like the above study illustrates that consumers are turning to their grocers’ social channels for information, not for stories. Social is a brand channel, so treating it as a way to convey the values and stories your brand stands for rather than as a way to share the latest promo will be tremendously more valuable. Food is an incredibly visual medium that can easily engage consumers, so it’s just about making sure that the content is aligned with what consumers are seeking on each channel, i.e., what you post on Instagram shouldn’t be the same content that appears on Twitter.

The opportunity for grocers in social media is large — it’s where their customers spend the majority of their digital time — but the fact so few consumers follow grocery retailers is probably more representative of the current state of grocers’ efforts on these platforms, not that there’s a lack of interest.

If grocery retailers want to capitalize on the time and attention consumers give these channels, they have to consider what would be valuable to their audience. Although retailers may want to be there to “connect,” consumers are saying they’d most prefer to be alerted to discounts. Start with what your customers want, and then segment out other activities that could be beneficial to different customer groups.

My read is nada. My sample set of data — my family full of social freaks (except me) — reports that no way are they food social. So ponder all you want, but the grocery on your social is just not hip.

Why would I want to follow my grocery store? Do I want to see how the broccoli is looking? No, we don’t want to follow our grocery stores.

Consumers “follow” but do not really follow. They click with the expectation of receiving coupons. There isn’t so much a social media affinity (ala Katy Perry) to a grocer as it is a utilitarian connection — making it all the more important for the grocer to figure out a way to connect to the consumer.