4 tips to omnichannel marketing success in meat retail

An omnichannel approach to marketing offers meat retailers more ways to reach potential consumers at the point of sale, from online shopping to in-store purchases.

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Rozi81 | Dreamstime.com;

An omnichannel approach to marketing offers meat retailers more ways to reach potential consumers at the point of sale, from online shopping to in-store purchases.

Mike Salguero, Chief Executive Officer, ButcherBox, and David Zucker, Chief Marketing Officer, Perdue Farms, shared insights on how to succeed in omnichannel marketing during a session at the Annual Meat Conference.

COVID-19 advanced interest in digital

Grocery delivery and other forms of ecommerce was already growing pre-pandemic, but the trend saw huge shifts during COVID-19. This trend is expected to last.

“What COVID-19 did is that it got people really comfortable with someone else picking out their meat and having it shipped through the mail. That’s a huge deal,” Zucker explained.

“Five years from now, we’re going to see a lot better marketing and a lot better product development that’s going to allow consumers to be less connected physically to the actual product.”

Digital as a source of data

In the poultry industry, there has been a lot of discussion in recent years about how to find ways to leverage data collection to improve operations. 

Retailers can take advantage of consumer data as well. In November 2020, Perdue Farms launched ThanksNuggets, turkey shaped nuggets that featured Thanksgiving-time flavors. The limited time offer was available only online through their direct-to-consumer website.

“It sold out in three minutes,” Zucker said. “That product is now in development to go into retail. The idea is to use our direct-to-consumer platform and new product development capabilities to put product in front of consumers with very fast cycle times.”

Not just brick and mortar to digital

Omnichannel is about more than just the transition of brick-and-mortar retailers to digital. Digital retailers are also looking to grow into brick-and-mortar.

“I’m really interested in our ability to build a brand and in order for ButcherBox to build a brand, we have to get into retail,” Salguero said. “I know that’s an interesting thing for a dotcom to say, but we want to be in retail as soon as possible… Despite the increased penetration with COVID, 70% of people are still buying their meat at a grocery store.” 

Don’t miss your moment

Success in omnichannel depends on careful planning and good timing. Retailers need to be ready to adapt to changing consumer habits and behaviors.

“There’s been a lot of discussion about how COVID-19 caused the online strategy for many companies, but the reality is that those who were left scrambling did not do very well,” Salguero said. “There are moments when habits can change and then the door closes, so if you miss it, how are you going to compete?”

View our continuing coverage of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

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