Finding the Retail X-Factor: Going Beyond Price, Selection, Location and Service

The factors that motivate a shopper to visit one store over another are always in flux as the economy and customer preferences change. 

For example, one shopper might be compelled to drive five minutes further to a grocer that has better deals while another might prioritize visiting the store with the widest selection of healthy foods. 

So, what can grocers do to foster a stand-out customer experience when there are so many conflicting priorities? 

The answer goes beyond focusing on the traditional retail cornerstones, prompting grocers to find a new “X-factor.” 

Shifting Priorities For Grocers

Entrepreneurs have long been taught that some of the pillars of a successful retail business are as follows: 

• Price – Is the price reasonable for customers? Is this price point profitable? 
• Selection – Do you have the right products for your target audience? Does the selection vary from what the competition offers? 
• Location – Is your store accessible to your target market? Are you selling in the correct online channels?  
• Service – Do shoppers feel supported in store or online? Is the customer experience efficient and effective?  

However, in today’s competitive landscape, in which 76% of urban consumers live within five miles of at least three grocery stores, these pillars are not enough to win long-term customer loyalty. 

Grocers must invest in the tools and technologies that will allow them to “WOW” shoppers.

The Power of Data

Shoppers activities which include their mobile app usage (of the retailers app), website behavior, purchase history, use of coupons etc generates a ton of data that the retailer has access to inorder to better understand the shopper’s needs.

Using this data responsibly and effectively can be the difference between growing customer engagement and languishing in the lower strata of the industry.

Decades ago, when grocers knew their shoppers personally, they were able to cater to their needs and nurture the relationships to grow loyalty. Retail, especially, supermarket retail is no longer the same. Data has, to some extent (probably to a large extent), become the foundation on which to nurture these relationships.

The Power of Customer Intelligence 

Shoppers today expect that retailers will be able to gauge their patterns and serve their needs in a more personalized manner.Data driven technologies such as AI and ML makes it possible now to achieve the level of personalization that helps retailers scale their interactions with shoppers.

Advanced customer intelligence and personalization provide the X-factor that grocers need to meet and exceed customer expectations. By understanding an individual shopper’s preferences, grocers can create a tailored shopping experience that encourages them to come back time and time again.

Here’s how it works. Grocers can implement Birdzi’s proprietary KIC Scores, which mimic a FICO score. 

KIC Scores consider each shopper’s financial value and the level of engagement they’ve had with the grocer’s stores. Grocers can also track customer’s preferred price points, dietary restrictions, typical basket sizes, what promotions do and don’t intrigue them and more. 

With all this data and analytics at their fingertips, grocers can then transform theirapproach to price, selection, location and service with a special, X-factor. 

Taking Traditional Values to the Next Level

AI-driven analysis and personalization are essential to creating customer connections that stick. Using shopper history, KIC Scores and the data provided for loyalty cards and surveys, grocers can advance the central retail pillars with personalization. 

Here are a few examples of how AI provides the X-factor across the retail cornerstones: 

• Price –If one shopper responds better to a 20% off deal while another prefers a buy-one-get-one 30% off, AI can ensure the right outreach meets the right shopper. 
• Selection – Imagine a grocer evaluates their data with AI and learns that one of its stores has a significant diabetic population. The grocer can work to develop a meaningful product assortment for that store. 
• Location – If a grocer learns that its visitors are driving a higher-than-normal distance to the store, the grocer may want to offer additional curbside pick-up and AI-driven recommendations to shorten the overall length of the shopping trip. 
• Service – Using AI-driven messaging, grocers can inform shoppers with dietary restrictions of the in-stock products that fit their diet and where they’re located in the store. 

Revolutionizing Retail With Birdzi

Birdzi clients like Weis, Coborn’s and Strack & Van Til are securing enhanced customer loyalty and improving customer lifetime value with AI-driven analytics and personalization. These grocers are going beyond the traditional retail cornerstones and moving the needle in their favor, despite the crowded landscape. 

To learn more about how our X-factor can take your price, selection, location and service to the next level, contact us today.