Bloomfield Hills-based eGrowcery, a food industry digital platform, and AppCard, a New York-based a personalized coupon provider to independent grocers, are working together to assist current and potential retail clients retain and reward shoppers.
Industry data indicates that grocery shoppers want savings, convenience, and recognition in 2023, and are choosing stores that help them address inflation and related challenges. Grocery retailers, for their part, are working to reduce the impact of inflation and create new programs for customer attraction and retention, with more than 70 percent of companies reporting that loyalty is now a C-level priority.
The partnership already is helping several grocery retailers enhance their digital shopping experience.
“We use the combination of eGrowcery and AppCard to really connect with our shoppers when, how, and where they are most open to our marketing outreach,” says Giselle Alvarez, vice president of operations at Hitchcock’s Markets, a 10-store supermarket chain in Florida. “The two technologies work well together to help us quickly understand the best ways to keep our customers happy.”
eCommerce volume at Hitchcock’s Markets grew during COVID-19 and saw another surge when the company added the EBT SNAP payment option for digital orders. Alvarez says the retailer now is focused on using the tools from AppCard and eGrowcery to attract and retain even more online shoppers by using the data collected to reward them.
“Hitchcock’s is a perfect example of how we can provide our retailers with a competitive advantage in the markets they serve,” says Patrick Hughes, CEO of eGrowcery. “eGrowcery’s integration with AppCard empowers companies to increase retention rates while expanding market share in a very competitive space.”
The joint eGrowcery-AppCard offering helps retailers personalize the shopping experience by using combined data to understand what motivates each sale. With the integrated offering, shoppers not only enjoy benefits during an eCommerce experience, but shoppers also may redeem AppCard coupons and other rewards by either scanning their eGrowcery-enabled mobile app in lane or keying in their phone number at the AppCard in-lane terminal (NTR).
“Our robust data and machine learning platform gives retailers a way to earn the trust of their shoppers giving them incentives that work,” says Eran Harel, senior vice president of corporate development and strategic partnerships at AppCard. “By implementing AppCard’s APIs, the mutual solution helped create a single source of truth, ensuring a consistent shopper experience regardless of where the grocer meets its shoppers — instore or online. With eGrowcery, AppCard ensures the entire process, from customer acquisition through retention, is seamless for the retailer and the shopper.”
