Post Categories: April 2016

Knowledge Portal: Interactions Creates Innovative Meal Solutions

knowledgePortPicIt’s early Monday evening. You’ve just finished up your workday, or picked up the kids from school or sports practice. But you still need to make a quick run to the store before heading home. You rush through the aisles getting the items on your list, when suddenly you smell something wonderful. As you round the corner, you see someone whipping up a delicious-looking meal right there in the store. As you take a bite of a sample, the rest of your night just got a whole lot easier—the answer to tonight’s dinner is sitting right in front of you.

That’s the experience thousands of shoppers have enjoyed since Interactions recently launched a new Meal Solutions program. The program came about through a collaboration between the retailer, Interactions and Interactions’ parent company, Daymon Worldwide.

“Our client wanted to develop an innovative program to engage with consumers who don’t necessarily have the opportunity to shop on the weekends,” explains Jennifer Morgan, Business Manager for Interactions. “They also wanted to go beyond standard product demonstrations and do something more elevated and sophisticated.”
With this goal in mind, the Interactions team worked alongside the retailer and John Burt, the retailer’s liaison at Daymon Worldwide, to develop a comprehensive experiential program that offers cooking demonstrations, recipes, knowledgePortPic2product sampling and digital engagement. At each event, Interactions Brand Ambassadors show shoppers how to prepare a meal using featured owned- and national-brand products available in the retailer’s grocery department.

The Brand Ambassadors share recipe cards and use tablets installed on their carts to educate shoppers about the retailer’s online recipe hub. The hub features recipes from the Meal Solutions program, as well as other vendor and owned-brand dishes. In addition, Brand Ambassadors educate guests how to use the retailer’s apps to find products in the store and get extra savings on them. After each event, Interactions’ analytics team shares in-depth reporting and analysis on engagement with customers.

Since January, 45 stores have featured weekly events. Another 55 stores are expected to begin hosting events in June. Feedback to date has been overwhelmingly positive—from both the retailer and shoppers. “Many of our Brand Ambassadors report they’re getting to know repeat customers. Those shoppers say they’re intentionally scheduling their visits in order to attend these events,” says CassandraknowledgePortPic3
Peterson, Interactions Account Executive. “Some people will take a recipe card and then go buy every item on it to make that meal.”

“Our retailer partner has also responded well to hearing how our Brand Ambassadors are taking initiative to help shoppers download its digital tools during the event,” adds Morgan. “That’s instant conversion, and it really showcases how this program encompasses digital, experiential and grocery components.”

“We’ve been in lockstep with the retailer throughout this program,” concludes Burt. “From the custom-designed collateral to the technology and talented Brand Ambassadors, the whole program has an elevated feel that’s synonymous with how the retailer is positioning its grocery offerings.”

To learn more about Interactions’ event marketing programs, contact Lindsay Steller, Director of Sales and Marketing, at lsteller@interactionsmarketing.com.

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