Winning the retail dog fight and Living Better
Though Target may have grabbed most of the retail-related headlines this year after finally arriving in Canada, Walmart maintained a competitive edge with a wide range of marketing initiatives.
In print, in store, through mobile and online, Walmart engaged with its customers in meaningful ways and continued to focus on its everyday low-price positioning and building its reputation as the one-stop shop in what many predicted to be the year of the red-and-white dog.
According to a Forum Research study conducted in August, 40% of customers said they were “very satisfied” with their shopping experience at Walmart, which tied it with Hudson’s Bay for second place behind Costco. Target, which officially opened doors in Canada in April, was last with 27% satisfaction.
• In April the big box discount retailer launched Live Better, a free 100-page glossy magazine that has proven to be a valuable marketing and sales tool. Walmart has seen an average in-store sales lift of 30% on products featured in the magazine within four weeks of distribution. Live Better also has a companion website, a newsletter and tablet edition. The magazine recently took home six Pearl Awards from the Custom Content Council, including the Best in Show honour. Walmart is increasing its frequency in 2014 from six to nine issues and upping its circulation to 1.2 million (French and English). “We’ve had tremendous uptake from an advertising sales perspective so that opens up lots of possibilities for us to expand the program,” says Toni Fanson, senior director of marketing at Walmart Canada.
• In a bid to reach on-the-go consumers in the downtown core during the holiday season last year, Walmart and Mattel opened a virtual toy store on walls in Toronto’s financial district. Commuters were able to scan QR codes to purchase popular Mattel items from their smartphones and have them shipped for free. It was so successful, Walmart expanded the program in 2013 to include Montreal and Vancouver. “It gives customers the opportunity to engage with us and gives them a great experience linking to the Walmart.ca website,” says Zach James, vice-president of category marketing and store experience.
• Walmart is partnering with Canadian daytime talk show The Social for a 52-week sponsorship, which will include monthly in-show segments along with seasonal integrations. “The demographic is spot on for us because it’s primarily women and moms but also we know you get a much better impressions and awareness when you integrate into TV program rather than having a brand sell spot,” says Fanson.
You can find out who will be named our Marketer of the Year on Jan. 29 at our Best of 2013 cocktail party. Want to attend? Lots of important people will be there. Visit us online for more information.
