RETAILERS WARNED, REMEMBER THE 'C' IN ECR

SUSAN ZIMMERMAN

Technology may be a driving force in reinventing the supermarket experience, but two consumer experts warned retailers not to get so caught up in technology that the consumer gets left behind.

"A lot of Efficient Consumer Response is technology-based. But the 'C' in ECR often seems to refer more to the grocery store as the consumer rather than the store's customer," said Jean Story, director of consumer affairs at Felpausch Food Centers, Hastings, Mich. "I'm afraid the industry may have lost sight of who the real consumer is," she said. "It's John and Jane Doe who come into the stores each week and buy groceries."

Story observed what sets many retailers apart from their competitors is personal attention to customers, which, she fears, could fly in the face of ECR momentum toward advanced technology, automation and cost cutting. Some technology, though, directly benefits the customer, including scan-triggered frequent-shopper programs that reward loyal customers and make it possible to customize marketing for particular shoppers' needs.

These programs eventually will enable supermarkets to focus their advertising dollars more efficiently, using highly targeted, customized marketing programs. And, being more efficient, such personalized service would also be more cost-effective, she added.

Carol Scroggins, consumer affairs adviser to Independent Grocers Alliance, said, so far, there hasn't been enough "consumer" in ECR.

"A lot of retailers are putting all their eggs in the technology basket and may be forgetting about the 'peopleness' of our business," Scroggins said.

Scroggins, who also heads Consumer Voice, a marketing and research firm in Oklahoma City, warned retailers that gadgets that they think are terrific may simply be annoying to, or ignored by, shoppers. But having "the product there, at the right price, at the right time" -- a goal of category management and ECR -- "is a key benefit to the consumer."