Are you always searching for a million-dollar idea? I know I am; and recently, I thought I had it. Picture this—an app that leads you to your desired product via a store specific map. Brilliant, I know—and with millions of apps and smart phones flooding society, how could this not exist? Immediately I consulted my consumer panel of colleagues, friends, and family—all agreed this was the future: a real game-changing, million-dollar, never-been-had-before idea. Having been in the industry for years, surely I would know if a retailer had brought this to market…wrong.
Further investigation led me to Meijer, who I heard—despite the sound of my dreams shattering— had been fielding their Find-It app since 2010, though it never left 4-store beta testing. How had I not heard of this, and over a year later, why was it still in beta testing? The genius of my million-dollar idea began to fade until a recent newsletter came across my desk: Hy-Vee was announcing a similar app. Theirs, however, includes nuances like voice search and real-time tweeting about out-of-stock items, was backed by a marketing push, and is slated to roll out to all 235 stores.
The Hy-Vee push confirms my initial research: consumers recognize, crave, and expect the convenience of this technology. While the new update to Meijer’s app includes all their stores, Hy-Vee’s initial commitment gives them an edge with today’s shopper. Beyond affecting the in-store experience, their extra features improve their customers’ brand interactions outside the store. Their app eases the effort required to shop, and the choice for consumers is easy—less [effort] is more [trips].
The time has passed for toe-dipping into the Social Media/App waters—an emphasis must be placed on deploying social technologies with vigor and a megaphone. Today, it isn’t the initiator, but the believer who will win valuable shopper trips. If a retailer can commit to implementing fully-scoped and useful technology, consumers will leverage it—they want to leverage it—and you will have a million-dollar idea.
1. How are you engaging your customers with Social Media? What are you doing to 2) create awareness around your social and mobile platforms?
2. What could you do better to improve their experience through social and mobile technology?
3. Do you think you have to innovate to reach your customers, or could you leverage current best-practice approaches and improve on them?
