Weis, Brookshire’s get more personal with online grocery

Weis Markets and Brookshire Grocery Co. have enlisted e-commerce specialist Mercatus to make online grocery shopping more relevant for their customers.

Toronto-based Mercatus said yesterday that Brookshire’s and Weis have adopted its artificial intelligence (AI)-based AisleOne solution. Described as a “personalization intelligence engine,” the system employs machine-learning algorithms to deliver customized product recommendations and promotions to shoppers on a one-to-one basis.

Through AisleOne’s proprietary AI technology, the two regional grocers can analyze customer data — such as purchase history, dietary preferences and household demographics — gleaned from online shopping touchpoints spanning engagement to checkout. Mercatus noted that when these insights are combined with in-store transaction data, the retailers are able to provide shopping experiences unique to each customer.

“At Weis Markets, we are always striving to better understand both online and offline shopping behavior to create engaging experiences for our customers. We’ve already made significant progress with our company’s digital grocery shopping program since partnering with Mercatus and look to do even more in 2020.,” according to Ron Bonacci, vice president of marketing and advertising at the Sunbury, Pa.-based chain, which operates 199 stores in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, West Virginia and Virginia.

Related:Weis Markets engages more closely with customers

“AisleOne represents the next phase of our program,” Bonacci added. “It will help us deepen our relationships with customers and personalize values and incentives.”

Weis and Brookshire’s are using AisleOne as an enhancement to their Mercatus Integrated Commerce Platform. Also available as a stand-alone solution, AisleOne automates the analysis of transactional inputs to create tailored experiences for individual shoppers across desktop and mobile channels, in turn improving customer engagement and satisfaction, Mercatus said.

Brookshire Grocery rolled out online ordering with curbside pickup early last year to 100 stores across its Brookshire’s, Super 1 Foods and Fresh by Brookshire’s retail banners.

“A year ago, we launched online ordering with curbside pickup service to 100 stores across Brookshire’s, Super 1 Foods and Fresh by Brookshire’s banners,” commented John D’Anna, chief strategy officer at the Tyler, Texas-based Brookshire Grocery, which has more than 180 stores in Texas, Louisiana and Arkansas. “Now we are excited to expand our partnership with Mercatus by adding AisleOne personalization to our online shopping capabilities and creating a more personalized, convenient and enjoyable customer experience.”

For example, AisleOne enables Brookshire’s and Weis to generate automatic personalized catalogs and search results for each shopper, as well as serve up product suggestions based on their basket, past purchases and adjacent profile data. The result, according to Mercatus, is a faster checkout process and overall more enjoyable online grocery visit.

Related:Brookshire extends online grocery reach

Toronto-based Mercatus said AisleOne leverages “a deep well of shopper data” from online and in-store inputs and gives retailers full transparency into and control over their customers’ data and product recommendations. The system is designed for easy integration with retailers’ marketing emails, apps and e-commerce websites.

“We’re excited that Brookshire’s and Weis Markets are adding AisleOne to their digital commerce experiences,” Mercatus President and CEO Sylvain Perrier said in a statement. “Shoppers have come to expect a personalized shopping experience, and these two grocers know they need to deliver on that while continuing to own the shopper relationship. Our AisleOne solution will help both grocers fulfill these promises by delivering hyper-relevant experiences to their shoppers, boosting retention rates and building lasting loyalty.”

Other North American grocery retailers using the Mercatus e-commerce platform include Save Mart Cos., WinCo Foods, Smart & Final, Piggly Wiggly and Giant Tiger.