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Zavers By Google Tailors Digital Promotions For Price Chopper


Google
recently launched Zavers by Google, the first Google-branded offering following the company’s 2011 acquisition of Zave Networks. A number of retailers have signed on to Zavers by Google, including Price Chopper, D’Agostino, Bi-Lo, Harris Teeter, Pathmark, Superfresh The Food Emporium and Waldbum’s banners of The Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Co.

While digital coupon programs have become more prevalent over the past several years, industry observers said that access to real-time data and advanced analytical capabilities make Zavers by Google an attractive platform for retailers and manufacturers.

“We investigated digital coupons because our customers were telling us that they wanted a solution so that they didn’t have to clip their coupons and remember to bring them to the store,” said Heidi Reale, Director of Marketing and Consumer Insights for Price Chopper, noting that the system was the most compatible with the retailer’s POS system of all of the digital coupon programs the retailer considered. She said it also provided a strong tie-in with the P&GbrandSAVER coupon program from Procter & Gamble. Price Chopper has approximately 100,000 total users of its loyalty card, which it has branded AdvantEdge.

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Zavers by Google measures coupon redemptions and analyzes consumers’ preferences to help manage distribution, tailor campaigns and maximize ROI, according to a Google spokesperson, who added that the program provides access to a network of manufacturer coupons.

“We had made the decision to go with Zave Network about a year ago before they were acquired by Google, and it has only gotten better because of the Google infrastructure,” Reale said, adding that she expects the company’s 2012 acquisition social marketing developer Wildfire to help the retailer expand the use of social media outreach for promotions going forward.

Google Ups The Ante For Electronic Couponing

“Retail has been dabbling in electronic coupons for years, but the Zavers by Google program hopes to move this process up a notch,” said Deena M. Amato-McCoy, Research Analyst of the Retail Practice at Aberdeen Group. “By creating Zavers by Google, the company now has an engine that allows shoppers to visit their favorite retailer web sites and download coupons/promotions, usually to a loyalty account or related mobile number [they have already registered.]”

While supermarkets are the only class of retailers announced to date — primarily due to the large percentage of grocers that offer loyalty cards — a Google spokesperson explained that the program can benefit any type of retailer.

“Our consumer segmentation capabilities allow [companies] to deliver the right coupons to the right customers,” the Google spokesperson said. “Also, retailers and manufactures can extend the reach of targeted coupons across the web with the Google ad network.”

 Industry experts said personalization features such as those offered by Zavers by Google can help retailers distinguish their loyalty programs. “At this point, very few retailers don’t offer some sort of loyalty/rewards program, yet very few offer significant value or really differentiate the retailer in the marketplace,” said Amato-McCoy. “If there is a way to offer just a little more personalization, and allow the shopper to get some additional value, that is a bonus for retailers.”

One benefit of the Zavers by Google digital coupon system will be the ability to tap into the company’s vast analytical resources, according to Dan Kitrell, VP of Account Solutions for Kantar Media. “One of the advantage s of Google is that they years of experience with sophisticated analytics,” he said. “Zavers by Google has the potential to provide new insights into shoppers and how their online visits translate into purchases at the store.”

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