Giant Food Partners With Perch, Unilever on In-Store Digital Platform

Five Giant Food supermarkets in the Washington, D.C., area now have a next generation in-store product engagement platform featuring the Dove brand from Unilever powered by retail marketing platform Perch.

Unilever incorporated Perch into an integrated endcap at the grocery stores with a glowing logo and lit shelves, which hopes to drive additional attention to Unilever’s category-leading Dove products, Perch said in a statement.  

The interactive endcaps automatically sense what products shoppers touch and respond with videos and information about that product—without having to scan a QR code, touch a screen, download an app or take any additional action, the marketing platform company said in a statement.

Looking to promote inclusion and wellness, Christina DiPietro, Unilever’s team lead for Ahold Delhaize USA, parent company of Giant Food, said, “Our goal for this launch was to have a product and brand education platform that communicates Unilever’s positive beauty vision for people and planet, promoting inclusion and wellness with Dove being the appropriate brand for this partnership.” 

With Perch’s smart shelf display, DiPietro said, “Our products can deliver the right product message at the right time, so the Dove brand can educate and connect more deeply with its customers. We are thrilled to launch this platform in select Giant Food stores and bring this partnership to life with Perch and Giant connecting shoppers with our iconic Dove brand.”

When asked why the Dove brand specifically, DiPietro explained in an email statement that “Dove is an iconic brand with high brand awareness and a strong brand proposition. The positive message it stands for with inclusivity, sustainability, self-esteem and focus on real beauty is challenging to communicate with traditional packaging alone; it was certainly our go-to brand for this pilot.”

As for whether other Unilever products will be showcased, DiPietro said, “We can look to make changes to the product assortment on our Dove line after a few months but the first year will be Dove focused.”

Using Perch’s “lift-and-learn” technology, shoppers can get more information about Unilever skincare products by simply touching them, as if they had clicked on them online.

According to Perch, by instrumenting and analyzing physical shopping behavior with computer vision, Perch’s AI-powered approach drives five to 10 times the engagement of traditional digital signage. The retail marketing platform added that it even garnered “30%-188% sales lifts according to case studies in beauty, CPG, accessories, department stores and grocery.”

“We are excited to extend our partnership with Unilever to promote Dove products after such a successful earlier trial driving triple-digit sales lift. Dove’s brand message is inspiring, and we are excited to help shoppers better connect with their category-leading products,” said Perch CEO Trevor Sumner in a statement. “It’s exciting to see visionaries like Unilever use our technology to create better shopper experiences and more meaningful connections with its customers.”