• by Richard Whitman , Columnist, March 8, 2017

A new study conducted by enterprise marketing firm Aptaris and research firm Dunnhumby found the vast majority of U.S. supermarket retailers are shifting budgets from old school newspaper inserts to digital. The study surveyed 70 food retailers representing 4,600 stores across 34 states.

Key findings of the study include:

- Digital circulars have become the norm, but sophistication varies widely. With shoppers increasingly moving their planning and shopping online, digital optimization is important to omnichannel success.

- Many food retailers are investing in social, mobile and digital tactically, but not strategically. Retailers with greater budget allocation and digital/social presence are much more likely to measure the effectiveness of their efforts.

- Consumers are demanding relevant content, but only 36% of grocers use segmentation in their print pieces. This picture may change rapidly, with 42% planning to start segmented print outreach in the next two years.

- Total shopper usage of social media far exceeds retail social presence, presenting grocers with a green field opportunity to grow social engagement across vehicles.

- Retailers who use loyalty cards have above-average transaction sizes and emphasize technology integration, digital/mobile and social targeted print outreach and greater levels of sophistication.

Of the study's findings, Aptaris CEO Tom O'Reilly said, “The 2017 report underscores the accelerated pace of change for supermarkets. When nine in 10 retailers say they plan on reducing budget from print circulars and moving it to digital, mobile and social media, marketers must identify resources to support them with these transitions while maintaining consistent communications with shoppers."

You can view a video presentation of the study here.