Four regional grocery retailers will soon launch a new “Unified Experience” in response to Amazon’s bid to acquire Whole Foods. The giant online retailer’s recent bid is its biggest move yet into the grocery business, enabling an omni-commerce strategy by expanding into brick and mortar. Unata, the leader in 1-to-1 digital solutions for North America’s most well-respected grocers, works with its clients on similar omni-commerce strategies and is the power behind “Unified Experience.”
In a press release announcing the platform, Unata founder and CEO Chris Bryson, stated, “Most progressive grocers have been focusing their digital presence on eCommerce alone. The truth is that 95% of online shoppers still shop in-store, something Amazon is acknowledging with its Whole Foods bid. The digital experience needs to be looked at holistically, from the perspective of how it can enhance both the online and in-store experience, regardless of how the shopper chooses to shop. This is what our new ‘Unified Experience’ solves for.”
Through Unata’s “Unified Experience,” three distinct types of shopping modes – in-store list-planning, delivery, and click and collect – are interconnected into one seamless experience.
While most retailers either have these three modes split among different websites or confusingly combined, the “Unified Experience” allows shoppers to select their desired mode. Once that is selected, the entire web or mobile experience adjusts accordingly to reflect accurate content, features, product assortment, pricing, button functionality, store selection, and more. Additionally, shoppers can change modes at any point and have the web or mobile experience to adapt automatically, notifying the shopper of any product discrepancies that result from the mode change.
Because consumers use a combination of in-store, delivery, and click and collect to shop for groceries, the functionality that the “Unified Experience” provides is critical. It also proves the immediate need for a platform that can seamlessly transitions between modes.
Roche Bros. Supermarkets is one of the four regional grocery retailers that are launching Unata’s “Unified Experience.” The chain’s Director of eCommerce, Geoff Farrington, said, “The loyalty of our customers is more important now than ever. We’re currently working with the Unata team to build an online shopping experience that is easy, convenient and automatically adapts to how our shoppers choose to shop with us. Upon release, Unata’s updated platform will give our shoppers the ability to list plan or shop online, switching between these as much as they’d like, while still enjoying the best-in-class quality and service that has kept our customers coming back to Roche Bros. for the last 65 years.”
This new platform comes at a time when grocers are on high alert for solutions to keep their stores relevant and their shoppers loyal after Amazon announced plans to acquire Whole Foods.
Danita White for TechFunnel.com
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