Two regional grocers explore AI
With the help of a machine learning technology platform from Mercatus, Toronto, Brookshire Grocery Co. and Weis Markets are putting their data to work by creating personalized, online shopping experiences that could benefit private brands as they become more loyal to shoppers.
The regional grocers are using a personalization intelligence engine called Mercatus AisleOne that analyzes shopper data touch points across the path to purchase.
“A year ago, we launched online ordering with curbside pickup service to 100 stores across Brookshire’s, Super 1 Foods and FRESH by Brookshire’s banners,” said John D’Anna, chief strategy officer, Brookshire Grocery Co. , Tyler, Texas. “Now, we are excited to expand our partnership with Mercatus by adding AisleOne personalization to our online shopping capabilities and creating a more personalized, convenient and enjoyable customer experience.”
AisleOne, which launched last September, is available as a standalone solution or an enhancement to the Mercatus Integrated Commerce Platform. With AisleOne, Brookshire’s and Weis Markets have the ability to tap into shopper data and behavior, using machine learning algorithms informed by deep grocery expertise, to serve relevant product content to customers at every point of the shopper journey.
This means shoppers frequently buying the Weis Signature and Weis Organics brands will be regularly promoted those items as they’re most relevant to them. The private brands will stay front and center of that shopper’s online habits.
AisleOne further enables Brookshire’s and Weis Markets to:
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Generate automatic personalized catalogs and search results tailored to each individual shopper;
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Utilize a deep well of shopper data from online and in-store inputs;
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Serve personalized product suggestions based on shoppers’ basket, past purchase and adjacent profile data;
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Enhance the overall shopping experience for a faster, more enjoyable checkout process;
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Gain full transparency into and control over their customers’ data and product recommendations.
“At Weis Markets, we are always striving to better understand both online and offline shopping behavior to create engaging experiences for our customers,” said Ron Bonacci, vice president of marketing and advertising, Weis Markets, Sunbury, Pa. “We’ve already made significant progress with our company’s digital grocery shopping program since partnering with Mercatus and look to do even more in 2020. AisleOne represents the next phase of our program. It will help us deepen our relationships with customers and personalize values and incentives.”
Using AisleOne, Brookshire’s and Weis Markets now have a scalable, AI-powered solution that can automate the analysis of transactional inputs necessary to create a truly personalized experience tailored to the individual shopper across desktop and mobile channels.
“We’re excited that Brookshire’s and Weis Markets are adding AisleOne to their digital commerce experiences,” said Sylvain Perrier, president and CEO, Mercatus. “Shoppers have come to expect a personalized shopping experience, and these two grocers know they need to deliver on that while continuing to own the shopper relationship. Our AisleOne solution will help both grocers fulfill these promises by delivering hyper-relevant experiences to their shoppers, boosting retention rates and building lasting loyalty.”
Gina Acosta writes for sister publication Progressive Grocer.