Schnucks deploys tablet-delivered videos in beer & wine departments

In its alcoholic beverages sections, Schnuck Markets is telling the tale behind the brand.

St. Louis-based Schnucks has deployed “storytelling” smart tablets from The Looma Project in the beer and wine departments of 89 stores. Known as Loop, the video program spotlights the people and shares the histories of selected beer and wine brands on shelves, boosting shopper engagement and enabling more-informed purchasing decisions, Looma said Tuesday.

Plans call for Schnucks to roll out Looma’s artificial intelligence-assisted film platform to the beer and wine areas of additional stores. Overall, the regional grocer operates 110 supermarkets in Missouri, Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin.

“At Schnucks, we are hyper-focused on creating unique, tailored customer experiences. It’s all about nourishing the lives of our customers by enabling enriched, informed shopping experiences,” Tom Henry, chief data officer and deputy chief information officer at Schnuck Markets, said in a statement. “Deploying Looma digital technologies within our stores has enabled our customers to make product selections with increased knowledge and confidence.”

The Loop network of in-store tablets plays short, human-centric videos at the point-of-purchase to show shoppers “the real people whose craft, sweat and love imbue the products at-shelf,” Durham, N.C.-based Looma said. The startup said this “point-of-decision optimization” model brings authentic content and more transparency to customers. 

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“Shoppers increasingly want to make educated and informed decisions,” according to Julie Dean, alcoholic beverage category manager at Schnucks. “Looma allows us to create a stronger connection between shoppers and the brands they love while simultaneously introducing them to new ones.”

Loop’s sales impact reflects shoppers’ desire for purchasing guidance, especially with beer and wine, Looma noted. Across Looma programs, brands see an average of 92% sales growth when making their debut in Loop videos, followed by 25% growth in the following month. Similarly, retailers sell 51% more items for brands highlighted in Loop tablets on an aisle endcap, and 30% of shoppers buying a Loop-featured product are trying it for the first time, Looma said. 

“The best retailers are doubling down on in-store experience,” stated Cole Johnson, founder and CEO of The Looma Project. “Digitization alone isn’t enough, though. It has to be about discovery, education, immersion — connecting shoppers to the people and places and stories behind their products.”

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Overall, Looma’s Loop videos play at more than 350 grocery stores across seven states. Besides Schnucks, chains participating in the program include Harris Teeter, Lowes Foods and Gelson’s Markets. Brand partners include Anheuser-Busch, Constellation Brands, E&J Gallo Winery, The Wine Group, Treasury Wine Estates, O’Neill Vintners and Distillers, New Belgium Brewing and Deutsch Family Wine & Spirits.

Schnucks already understands the value of engaging content. Earlier this month, the chain launched the Schnucks Wine Club, which gives Schnucks Rewards members a daily 15% discount on all 750-ml bottles, special offers and promotions, and updates on premium bottles of wine. Other club benefits include a newsletter with trends and insights from industry experts, wine and food pairing ideas, content curated for wine enthusiasts, pre-registration for wine-focused Schnucks Cooking School classes and events, and virtual “meet and greets” with sommeliers from around the world.