Healthnotes program shown to increase shopper satisfaction, drive sales

Healthnotes program shown to increase shopper satisfaction, drive sales
Tags: Assisted Selling, Consumer Behavior, Customer Service, In-Store Media, Interactive / Touchscreen, Kiosks / Self-Service, Marketing, Psychology, Supermarkets & Grocery Stores, Technology
February 6, 2008

PORTLAND, Ore. — Healthnotes announced results of an in-store test conducted by an independent firm showing that the company's "Fresh Ideas" program drives incremental sales and shopper satisfaction. The test, conducted at Martin's Super Markets based in South Bend, Indiana, showed that nearly 70 percent of shoppers made an immediate purchase as a result of using the Healthnotes Fresh Ideas center and over half the user respondents agreed that the kiosk itself was a reason to shop at Martin's.

The Healthnotes "Fresh Ideas" program is a kiosk-centered marketing program that provides shoppers with recipes from publications such as EatingWell magazine, plus seasonally relevant health, wellness and lifestyle information for key departments—including meat and seafood, produce, wine, pharmacy, and nutrition. The Fresh Ideas kiosk helps make the connection between health and food for shoppers, facilitating purchases by allowing users to create shopping lists and print recipes while in the store. Links within the program make it easy to access suggested wine pairings for each recipe, as well as food preparation and healthy eating tips.

"The main thing is that we are providing a valuable service to our customers. The fact that Healthnotes also helps us take advantage of the growth in health & wellness and drives basket size is a bonus," said Amy Simeri McClellan, market research supervisor for Martin's Super Markets. "We truly believe our shoppers leave the store feeling better about shopping at Martin's, which is clearly a big win for us."

Wisner Marketing Group, Inc., a research firm specializing in consumer and retail trends, conducted the study in three Martin's Super Markets during the fourth quarter of 2007. WMG interviewed a total of 257 shoppers, including previous kiosk users, first-time users, and non-users. At the conclusion of the interview, shoppers were given a cash coupon which was used to match their purchases to their Martin's Advantage Card history. A total of 15 Martin's store employees representing various positions and departments were also interviewed.

Key findings include:

Two-thirds of customers reported that they had purchased items as a result of the information they found on the Healthnotes kiosk (66.5 percent). Studies in 2005 reported purchase rates of 41 percent. This new study both confirms that there is a high incremental purchase rate for Healthnotes kiosk users, and indicates even better performance from the launch of the "Fresh Ideas" version in 2007.
Shoppers accessing the kiosk made total purchases averaging 39 percent higher than non-users.
Incremental purchases occurred in nearly every department of the store.
Among users, 97.3 percent said they had or would recommend the kiosk to others.
Over half of users agreed that the "Fresh Ideas" kiosk was itself a reason to shop at Martin's.
73 percent of interviewed employees said the program helps save them time while providing customer service.
87 percent of employees believe that having Healthnotes is a competitive advantage for Martin's.