How Grocers Can Use Shopper Data to Drive Personalized Marketing and Increase Loyalty

Shekar Raman 00:00
I’m Shekar Raman, CEO and co-founder of Birdzi. We’re a customer intelligence platform that helps retailers understand shopper behavior, predict buying patterns, and tailor promotions designed to grow shopper value for the retailer.

Anthony Presley 00:28
That’s very needed in the world today.

Shekar Raman 00:31
We hope so.

Anthony Presley 00:32
You’ve had a lot of success. How do you differentiate Birdzi from a typical loyalty platform? I know that gets confusing sometimes.

Shekar Raman 00:42
Let me also elaborate on what we mean by personalization.

Anthony Presley 00:45
Please do.

Shekar Raman 00:46
We view loyalty as a way to engage shoppers so you can collect purchase data. For example, you might enroll them in a points program or a promotion like “spend $400 and get a free turkey.” Loyalty platforms help run those continuity programs, which are key for gathering consistent, identified customer data. Without those, there’s no reason for shoppers to identify themselves every time. Once you have that data, the question is: what can you do with it? That’s where our platform shines—we typically layer on top of loyalty systems to enable personalization.

Anthony Presley 01:41
We have a food service platform that collects a lot of data, and sometimes our customers don’t know what to do with it. Even when the shopper is identified, the challenge becomes getting them to return or increase frequency. You’re solving that problem.

Shekar Raman 02:07
Yes, and there are many applications. As we’ve discussed, many retailers use different POS systems for checkout versus hot foods or deli. There’s a disconnect between those systems, and sometimes hot food data is only captured in aggregate. There’s a lot of value in connecting those systems to better understand shopper behavior—like timing and food preferences. If you buy ingredients, I don’t know what you’ll make at home, but if you buy hot food, I get a much clearer idea.

Anthony Presley 02:58
There was some interesting data from FMI today showing that most Americans don’t know what they’ll eat 30 minutes before dinner. As grocers push into prepared foods and try to capture more spend from restaurants, knowing what people are actually buying is critical. But that data often comes from a separate POS or even a scale, and it’s not clear what’s going on.

Shekar Raman 03:41
Exactly.

Anthony Presley 03:42
It makes it hard to personalize offers, hard to bring people into the store, and hard to present enticing promotions.

Shekar Raman 03:54
Offers are one aspect. Ultimately, you want to engage shoppers with valuable content. That value could be financial, but it might also just be relevant information.

Anthony Presley 04:10
Can you give an example?

Shekar Raman 04:13
If a shopper is buying certain ingredients or spices, you could notify them that their favorite meal is available hot in the store today. For someone busy, that’s a great notification. It’s not just about giving discounts. The question is how to engage with shoppers in a way that delivers unquantifiable value.

Anthony Presley 04:49
Right.

Shekar Raman 04:49
That’s the X factor in building relationships. Remembering a birthday doesn’t cost anything, but when done at the right time, it creates emotional connection.

Anthony Presley 05:03
Absolutely.

Shekar Raman 05:03
That ability to communicate personally is what we’re aiming for.

Anthony Presley 05:10
Dr. Randy Ross mentioned earlier that kindness is an X factor. It doesn’t cost anything, but it’s powerful.

Shekar Raman 05:19
Exactly.

Anthony Presley 05:19
He referenced a Chick-fil-A story. Empowering your people and giving them tools to succeed is a big part of that.

Shekar Raman 05:34
I completely agree. For supermarket grocers today, the key is figuring out how to gain shopper mindshare. You’re competing with Netflix, Twitter, Instagram—so where does your supermarket fit in that world? Right now, digital engagement is mostly limited to weekly emails or the occasional push notification.

Anthony Presley 06:07
Right.

Shekar Raman 06:08
Beyond that, very little is being done to create emotional connection.

Anthony Presley 06:19
Exactly.

Shekar Raman 06:19
There’s a huge opportunity for supermarkets to position themselves more centrally in customers’ lives. Maybe suggest healthier diets or meals based on the past 30 days of purchases. There’s a lot of potential.

Anthony Presley 06:39
You work with grocers of all sizes. Have you seen any particularly innovative approaches worth highlighting?

Shekar Raman 06:54
Yes. Over the last two years, we’ve seen more willingness to run data-driven campaigns instead of repeating last year’s promotions. There’s a real openness to testing and measuring results. Interestingly, 10- or 20-store chains can implement changes more easily because they’re more nimble.

Anthony Presley 07:26
Less red tape—no committees.

Shekar Raman 07:30
Exactly. “Death by committee” is real. The retailers that move fast are succeeding. One example is Strack & Van Til, a 22-store chain in Indiana. They recently won an IDC award for best customer experience in North America.

Anthony Presley 08:02
Wow.

Shekar Raman 08:02
It’s amazing.

Anthony Presley 08:03
That’s impressive.

Shekar Raman 08:04
They’ve stood out because of how progressive they’ve been about customer communication. We launched a campaign with them called Whisper Live. Every week, shoppers receive personalized offers—just like a weekly ad, but customized.

Anthony Presley 08:22
Really?

Shekar Raman 08:22
Yes. Each shopper gets six deals tailored specifically for them.

Anthony Presley 08:27
That’s incredible.

Shekar Raman 08:28
No retailer of that size has done this before. And they’re funding the campaign themselves—not waiting for CPG dollars. We’ve seen major gains in shopper retention and category engagement. It shows that you don’t need external funding to grow. You can do it with data.

Anthony Presley 09:04
That’s inspiring. There’s often a “we’ve always done it this way” mindset in the industry. But innovation is necessary, especially if we want to compete with restaurants. I’m glad to hear data is driving change.

Shekar Raman 09:27
What you’re doing is great, too. Hot foods are key to making grocery shopping experiential. Having tables encourages shoppers to linger. You might be on a long shopping trip—why not sit, eat, and continue? More supermarkets are setting up hot food areas like mini-restaurants, and they’re doing well.

Anthony Presley 09:59
Right.

Shekar Raman 09:59
Those setups are effective.

Anthony Presley 10:06
They increase margins, but also increase labor costs.

Shekar Raman 10:11
Yes, but there’s emotional value in food. It’s a connection.

Anthony Presley 10:20
Absolutely.

Shekar Raman 10:20
The way to someone’s heart is through their stomach.

Anthony Presley 10:22
No doubt.

Shekar Raman 10:23
Exactly.

Anthony Presley 10:24
I’ve asked everyone this—if someone is just getting started with your kind of program, what’s one tactical first step they should take before diving all in?

Shekar Raman 10:40
The first thing is to open your eyes—look at your data. It will tell you what you need to do. That process helps you understand what data you have and its condition. You can’t apply any of these techniques without clean, usable data. You don’t need a massive data warehouse to start. Begin with basics—look at historical data, trends, and simple reports. Compare store-over-store performance. Segment your shoppers. Ask: am I retaining and growing them? Are they spending more month over month? Start there, and you’ll see where to go next.