One trend that has never stopped is print advertising for big (and small) grocers. Even as the world has evolved to contain digital marketing in almost every facet of our lives, print advertising is still a strong contender for sales in the grocery industry. You might be wondering why that is. In this blog, we’ll discuss the power of print, how grocers benefit from print advertising and more. That way, you can rise above the competition and make every effort count.
The war between digital and print ads is raging, but the reality is that neither works “better” than the other. The best way to get real results is with both marketing efforts, so you can appeal to every audience. Generally, older crowds are more likely to stick to what they know: print ads and coupons. Whereas younger audiences are going to stick to what they know: digital ads and deals. Then, there’s still a good chunk of people who blur the lines and like both options. However, if grocers only focus on utilizing one method, they are missing out on a huge portion of their audience.
If you Google “weekly grocery ads,” you will see online links to ads from virtually all of your area’s major grocers. The simple reason is that it’s what they have always done, and they know it's what consumers are used to seeing. In this case, routine is comfortable, and it continues to work because it feels safe and known.
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The deeper reason for offering coupons in weekly ads is that they know that American consumers are naturally hard-wired to look for a grocery deal before making a purchase. For years, grocery stores have relied on marketing’s holy trinity: location, quality, and price. The basic premise is: if you can show shoppers that you have a great selection, you are easy and convenient to shop and you offer competitive pricing, then they will shop with you. It’s a time-tested formula for growth that continues to work today.
Furthermore, weekly ads show urgency, and they have a time limit. This is another proven marketing method. If you make your audience feel like they are missing out if they don’t cash in on your offer, it lights a fire under them and persuades a faster response. People want what’s uncommon or only available for a short period of time. If they don’t give in to that impulse, they often feel like they missed out.
Human psychology confirms that most people will generally seek the path of least resistance. Even though there may be dozens of weekly store ads available to us online, we will usually make decisions based on the two or three delivered to us in a printed form each week. The old adage of “out of sight, out of mind” couldn’t be more accurate. If you are not included in the mix of ads the consumer sees, you greatly reduce the odds of being included in their shopping decision.
Print ads offer a unique benefit that digital can’t: they land right in the consumer’s mailbox. This offers the path of least resistance for the buyer, ensures the ads linger on the counter or in their wallet if the consumer is even mildly interested, and it stands as a reminder as the expiration date is looming.
Here’s how grocers benefit from print advertising:
Even after the chaos of the pandemic, grocers have been utilizing print ads and finding success with them. Both Kroger and Albertsons continued their print circulars in 2020 and saw incredible results.
“We continue to gain market share, and full-year results were above the guidance we shared,” said Rodney McMullen, Kroger Chairman and CEO (data from Kroger’s end-of-year report).
Albertson’s CEO, Vivek Sankaran, stated, “We continued to gain significant market share... and experienced strong growth across geographies.”
What it comes down to is that grocers who are utilizing print and digital campaigns are growing their market share — at their competitors’ expense. The truth is that grocers who aren’t investing in weekly or monthly ad publications are coming in behind their local competitors, and they are losing out on huge amounts of money to those who are investing.
Wondering what’s a good cadence for print ads? Read our blog, How to Select the Best Ad Frequency for Print Marketing here.
So, what’s the effectiveness of digital advertising for grocers in comparison to print ads? You might have the thought that as long as you continue posting your promotional items online, you should be okay. However, that’s not necessarily true.
If all grocers limited their advertising to online only, then yes, you’d be fine. But the fact of the matter is that big grocers are utilizing both digital and print ads, and you need to, too, to compete.
Today, we have major chains that recall the lessons of past economic upheavals and have resumed their print advertising programs with much success. Both Kroger (the largest supermarket chain in the nation) and Albertsons/Safeway resumed the distribution of printed circulars back in 2020. They continue to reach consumers today with multiple pages of promotional items.
Related Blog: How to Design Advertising Circulars
What’s happening to your market share, and how do print ads hold up? Grocers utilizing print as part of a multi-channel ad campaign are growing market share at their competitors’ expense.
While you may not have thousands of locations like Kroger and Albertsons, you can share the same marketing strategy as these giants by combining print and digital advertising. The combination of advertising channels helps to retain your market share and grow your sales, effectively helping you keep up with your competitors.
Here are the facts when it comes to the efficacy of print ads for grocery stores:
As popular as digital ads have gotten, digital alone is not enough when so many others in the grocery industry are still utilizing print. There’s a reason the largest grocers in the country continue running print ads: print works, and it can work for you.
At Signature Graphics, we make it our mission to deliver the ultimate message to your audience using every print and digital tool at our disposal. If you’re interested in leveraging the power of print, contact us today to get started.
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Portland, OR 97230
