Barry Clogan, President, Retail Solutions Seismic shifts in consumer expectations coupled with competition from existing grocery chains, pure play retailers, and new market entrants from outside the grocery industry has increased the role that eCommerce plays in a grocer and CPG brand’s multi-channel strategy. As an early mover and thought leader in the sector, MyWebGrocer (MWG) was a pioneer in building digital solutions for grocers to empower them to address the entire grocery purchase funnel. This was no easy feat considering the unique complexity of grocery, which needs to support 50,000+ unique SKUs by store, natively handle grocery store hierarchies, varying products and pricing assortments and promotions by store/region, and real-time pricing updates.
MWG’s Digital Experience Platform (DEP) is a modern API-driven solution, which offers grocers the flexibility and scalability required to roll out an online business. DEP was architected to withstand the complexities of grocery and is easy to customize or use right out-of-the-box. Grocers can leverage MWG’s end-to-end digital ecosystem, which includes core eCommerce, planning and digital merchandising solutions, order management, in-store picking and packing software, and a wide range of digital marketing services to deepen the levels of customer engagement with their omni-channel consumers. MWG enables grocers to leverage DEP digital shopper data and combine with their in-store point-of-sale data and third-party sources to create large addressable audiences to power personalization and multi-channel marketing to shoppers. MWG is on an active mission to enable customer engagement, drive loyalty, increase basket size, and attract new customers for leading grocers and CPG brands.
“The cultural shift required for grocers to become a successful multichannel retailer is significant and remains one of the key reasons grocers have not responded with the same agility as their pure play competitors,” says Barry Clogan, President of Retail Solutions.
We are known for our ability to use data, and target the consumer at the right moment and enhance the level of engagement
For grocers that recognize the required cultural shift and have begun their multichannel journey, Clogan says grocers must recognize first how they build scale. They must leverage their existing assets to offer proximity and convenience for customers. Second, they must understand the unique skill sets required to drive digital demand, and third, they must understand how to merchandise and monetize their digital assets. “The levers to profitability and the capabilities required to run a successful online business are very different than those that existed within successful grocers over the last fifty years,” Clogan adds.
MWG’s consultancy services help grocers formulate their multichannel strategies, define their customer value proposition and leverage the power of their existing physical assets to establish the most efficient and effective way to scale their business. Their digital marketing services team helps retailers execute effective and targeted campaigns to drive customer acquisition and trial. “It is about ensuring that the customer sees a seamless digital and in-store experience. Our team of digital experts help grocers ensure that their brand message is consistent across all digital channels and that they are reaching and targeting the right customers with relevant ad placements.” The MWG digital media team operates at the intersection between CPG fund-flow to help grocers monetize their digital channels. “By leveraging data and building smart audience segmentations, we are able to help grocers and their CPG partners drive sales,” explains Clogan.
With the speed of consumer change and disruption, MWG forecasts accelerated growth and demand for their technology and services. The ability to engage with consumers in a smarter way, offering them more relevance, personalization, and convenience will be critical for grocers and CPG brands to attract and build loyalty with digital shoppers.
