Dive Brief:

• Wakefern Food Corp. has teamed up with Huge Brooklyn, a digital marketing agency, to redesign the retailer cooperative's digital presence and develop a roadmap for consumer-focused innovation, Huge announced on Tuesday in an email sent to Grocery Dive.
• As its digital brand agency of record, Huge will revamp Wakefern’s web, mobile, social and in-store digital, with the first work on the project expected to launch in the fourth quarter. The results will create a “highly personal and immersive digital commerce experience,” Huge President Matt Weiss said in an emailed press release.
• The announcement builds on Wakefern’s recent efforts to boost customers’ digital engagement with its supermarket members, which include the ShopRite, The Fresh Grocer and Fairway Market banners.

Dive Insight:

By revamping its digital properties over the coming months, Wakefern aims to distinguish itself from other Northeast food retailers competing for shoppers' newly elevated online spending. The retailer cooperative also joins a growing list of grocers that have invested in updating their marketing strategy as shifting consumer habits and competitive forces pressure the industry.

The company is teaming up with a digital marketing agency that has worked with big names like Google, Nike and Gucci. Huge helped launch Hulu's omnichannel platform, which combines on-demand TV shows and movies with live television. It has also worked with legacy firms like Proctor & Gamble and Pfizer. The firm's multiyear brand campaign for Pfizer encouraged consumers to embrace the aging process.

The work will build on recent updates Wakefern and its member retailers have made. ShopRite, the largest grocery chain under Wakefern's umbrella, has undergone a spree of branding changes aimed at boosting consumers' experiences and giving the retailer a more modern feel. On the digital and e-commerce side, ShopRite revamped its deli counter mobile app, added more items for pickup and rolled out virtual access to dietitians. In an effort to capture more brand loyalty, it introduced two premium store brands in late 2019 and then a year later, expanded and rebranded its Wholesome Pantry and Wholesome Pantry Organic brands. 

For in-store shoppers, ShopRite has emphasized fresh by piloting salad-making robot Sally at its store in Carteret, New Jersey, last summer and opening a store-within-a-store concept focused on fresh meals at three Northeastern stores. 

Wakefern is among several grocers looking to strengthen their marketing efforts with their digital aisles and online presence. The Giant Company completed a rebranding process last summer that includes a new marketing platform and a focus on refreshing its online presence, while Kroger has centered its marketing efforts around a "Fresh for Everyone" brand platform. 

Wakefern has also announced various back-end partnerships to boost digital revenue. It linked up with technology firm Inmar Intelligence in August, allowing the retailer cooperative to use the company’s Intelligence Retail Cloud to expand its digital marketing efforts. In January, Wakefern launched CitrusAd’s retail media technology to give brands the opportunity to have sponsored product campaigns and display media across its e-commerce platforms.