Supermarket Perimeter - January 2020 - 15

today's retail grocery world, brick-and-mortar stores
need to work harder than ever to make sure their customers have a good reason to take the time and effort to
walk through their doors.
We hear a lot today about how "experiences" are one of the key ways
of doing this - engaging shoppers' senses, teaching them something,
interacting, creating a memory that will keep them coming back.
One of the best ways to create those experiences is through seasonal
promotions, which, if done right, tap into consumers' nostalgia and
provide new twists on traditional favorites.
Take San Diego-based retail chain Barons.
"We'll time promotions with the season whenever we can," says
Rachel Shemirani, the company's senior vice president. "For example,
we have these fantastic apple and sweet potato butters that are packaged in reusable drinking glasses. They're perfect to serve during the
holidays and make great gifts."
Another seasonal promotion that's always a huge hit for Barons is its
pumpkin patch in October. Each store has a giant pumpkin named Mr.
Jack. Customers are encouraged to guess the pumpkin's weight, and
the closest guess wins Mr. Jack and can take him home the week before
Halloween.
"We get a lot of entries, so we know our customers love this contest,"
Shemirani says. "Finally, we of course do a big display of holiday items,
gifts, cookies, etc. right before Thanksgiving. This is a fun way for the
managers to use their creativity in merchandising."
That said, Barons doesn't subscribe to the belief that you need a seasonal promotion to draw people into brick-and-mortar stores.
"The key is to create an exciting and engaging customer experience
year-round, from friendly and sincere customer service to sampling
delicious food at our demo station, to our grab n' go soup, salad and hot
food bars," Shemirani says.
One of the keys to Barons' customer experience is the company's
"10-minute shopping experience" through a limited but exciting product
selection.
"Our customers are busier than ever, and we answer the question
'What am I going to have for dinner tonight?' as soon as they step into
the store," Shemirani says.
In addition to its seasonal promotions, Barons likes to create engaging displays throughout the year, Shemirani says. Often it's new products the company loves and wants to introduce to its customers. And if
the timing is right to tie it in with a seasonal promotion, all the better.

More opportunities - and challenges

BARONS

It's very important to promote the seasonal changes due to consumers'
changing tastes, which are a blend of needs and wants, says Mike Tilden, director of deli and bakery for Kansas City, Kansas-based Balls Food
Stores Inc., which operates the Price Chopper and Hen House banners.
"The fall to winter shift means more need for home cooked meals
that are heartier and sustaining," Tilden says. "We also have the holiday
shift that brings out more celebratory occasions, which means more
spending on items reserved for special occasions."
It's a critical and challenging time for retailers, Tilden says, because
there are more opportunities to maximize sales in every department
- but it's also ﬂeeting and comes with risks, due to the seasonality of

certain items only offered at that time. During the holidays, when everyone is busy shopping for gifts online, it also often extends to online
shopping for groceries. Price Chopper and Hen House both see a spike
in online sales then, Tilden says.
That said, the vast majority of shoppers still want to shop instore,
even with the added time crunch that comes with the holidays.
"It's still impossible for most consumers to replace going to the store
and seeing and buying with their own eyes when it comes to food,"
Tilden says. "Food for many is a powerful personal experience, from the
time it's hand selected to its preparation and ﬁnally its consumption.
And that can't be replaced by online shopping."

Keeping the promotions going in all seasons
Barons also lures customers into its stores through its monthly "#1
Pleasant Surprise" program.
Every month, Barons create a large instore display of that month's
pleasant surprise, i.e. a new and maybe unique product consumers may
not have seen yet.
The promotion features signage, passive demos of the product next
to the display (when applicable) and a contest to win the pleasant surprise product at the end of the month.
"This is very successful for us," Shemirani says. "We're currently working on the pleasant surprise calendar now."
Because Barons stores are in the 15,000 to 18,000 square foot range,
the retailer has to be very choosy about its displays and merchandising.
"We like to swap things out pretty quickly," Shemirani says. "The
Pleasant Surprise promotions do really well. They're born out of, 'What
new product do we love that nobody really knows about?' And they're
very successful - sales typically go up 300% to 400%."

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Supermarket Perimeter - January 2020

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