New Raley's Campaign Touts Convenience, Customization of Grocery Ecommerce Service

Western grocer Raley's has launched a video promotional campaign for its grocery ecommerce service that focuses on such elements as convenience and customization to help drive usage of the service.

The West Sacramento, Calif.-based grocer developed the campaign after conducting focus groups and online surveys to understand what customers want when shopping online. Convenience was a clear driver, with people such as new parents stressing its importance, as they cannot easily get to a store. When it came to barriers, the majority of participants cited the inability to pick fresh products based on personal preference.

The first series of videos in the campaign, as a result, focus on the concept of shopping online as one would in the store. One video portrays a Millennial father sitting in a chair, shopping in a store's fresh produce department, with walls in the background closing to turn the room into a baby's bedroom, complete with crib. Other spots in the current cycle are set in the office and on the couch, Raley's told Progressive Grocer.

The spot in the baby's room suggests the service's ability to allow users to shop from home but truly feel like they're right there in the store. Raley's online shopping service is customized, in that a Raley's personal shopper handpicks grocery items as listed in an order – such as a green banana or a ripe avocado.

While Raley's has offered click-and-collect service for more than 15 years, it recently expanded its ecommerce platform to provide delivery. Currently, 110 Raley's, Bel Air Market and Nob Hill Foods stores offer curbside pickup, and same-day delivery is offered for a growing list of ZIP codes.

"We are constantly using data and customer feedback to improve our services and drive our marketing strategy," said Deirdre Zimmermann, Raley’s SVP, marketing. "Our personal shoppers make Raley’s online shopping experience best-in-class and we want to reach more customers to tell them about our great service."

The new campaign, developed in conjunction with Division of Labor, is running online in both organic and paid media.

Raley's operates 129 stores under five banners: Raley's, Bel Air Markets, Nob Hill Foods, Food Source and Market 5-One-5. It is No. 26 on Progressive Grocer's Super 50 list of the top grocers in the United States.