Progressive Grocer Bestows 2nd Annual GroceryTech Innovation Awards
At the end of the second day of Progressive Grocer’s GroceryTech event, the trade publication presented its second annual GroceryTech Innovation Awards to two mid-tier retailers, The Raley’s Companies and Schnucks, and one large retailer, Giant Eagle.
“These awards celebrate not just innovation for innovation’s sake, but tech-driven progress that enhances the guest experience, empowers employees and builds more agile, resilient businesses,” noted PG Editorial Director and Associate Publisher Gina Acosta, who personally handed the awards to honorees, ably assisted by Multimedia Editor Emily Crowe.
“It’s great to hear from a lot of people on the focus of the future, and we can't do that without technology and what the team has accomplished at Raley’s,” noted Zachary Wilson, executive director, digital commerce at the West Sacramento, Calif.-based grocer, which was honored for its new web and app platforms that reimagine how customers and team members interact with the brand.
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Since the platforms’ launch, which has enabled Raley’s to double its web users and triple its app users, customers are now receiving more targeted promotions, seamless weekly offers, and even tie-ins to life events like birthdays and celebrations, while team members are better equipped to fulfill online orders and support in-store loyalty programs with ease by ensuring the platform works for both the customer and the associate.
“Part of our mission at Schnucks is to nourish people’s lives,” said Joey Smith, VP and chief information security officer at the St. Louis-based grocer, “and we work every day tirelessly to do that. One of our main mission statements is to try new things, and that’s what really fuels our innovation strategy.” Schnucks was recognized for “what it means to be a tech-forward regional grocer by integrating artificial intelligence, robotics and cutting-edge customer engagement tools across the operation, from becoming the first U.S. grocer to deploy electronic shelf labels chain-wide to launching a fully integrated retail media network,” as Acosta pointed out. Smith made sure to namecheck many of Schnucks’ vendor partners in his brief acceptance speech.
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The retailer has also introduced smart carts that scan, weigh items, and even offer real-time digital deals, all while letting customers check out directly from the cart, as well as an autonomous inventory robot that roams store aisles, ensuring shelves are fully stocked and helping customers find what they need through the Schnucks Rewards app.
“One of our core values is to respect all,” said Shweta Prabhu, VP enterprise digital, martech and data at Pittsburgh-based Giant Eagle, “and we foster this every day in the way in which we treat our customers, our team members and our partners. And building on that same core value is innovation, which is at the heart of everything that we do.”
Giant Eagle was celebrated for hosting “an idea talk where we had over 100 team members across marketing, IT, supply chain and other departments come together to pitch a bunch of ideas to our judges ideas that they felt will enhance our customer experience,” added Prabhu, who accepted the award with her colleagues, Dan Kapalko, VP tech systems, and Jessica Szalla, director, technology systems.
One of the ideas brought forward, an AI-powered recipe generator embedded in the mobile app, went from the concept to pilot in just three months. It allows customers to input a desired meal and receive not just a recipe, but also a shoppable carousel of ingredients available in the store. Giant Eagle also developed interactive fuel pump software that transforms a routine gas stop into a digital touchpoint: As they fuel up, customers can buy a car wash, donate to a food bank or access in-store promotions, all from the pump touchscreen.
Progressive Grocer is hosting its annual GroceryTech event June 10-12 at the Marriott Dallas Uptown. This one-of-a-kind conference is geared toward grocery retail executives who are seeking new solutions to accelerate tech-enabled growth in every corner of their business.
