City vs. country: The right channel makes the difference
Urban consumers are increasingly digitally orientated. Around 69% of city dwellers use social media at least once a week to find out about offers, while this figure is only 56% in rural areas. At the same time, city dwellersare often overwhelmed by the oversupply of advertising. A full 53% feel they are flooded with advertising, which reduces their receptiveness to communication about offers. Nevertheless, targeted digital advertising remains indispensable in cities - from WhatsApp brochures and online banners to social media. In rural regions, however, the picture is different: printed brochures remain the medium of choice. While 70% of rural consumers rely on print, the proportion in cities is 64%. The conclusion: the right combination of traditional and digital channels is the key to effectively reaching all target groups.
Excursus LEH: customer loyalty programmes
What about the use of customer loyalty programmes in food retail? PAYBACK is proving to be the dominant loyalty card and is regularly used regardless of city size, purchasing power and food retail density. The DeutschlandCard is used less frequently. This shows a difference in the regional data: The DeutschlandCard is more popular in rural communities with less purchasing power. This regional difference illustrates that the choice of customer loyalty programme also depends on local conditions and consumer preferences.
Durable goods: digital affinity increases with distance
There is also a strong trend towards the use of digital offers in the personal equipment, DIY & garden and consumer electronics sectors - especially in urban regions. Consumers in urban environments search for offers with above-average frequency, especially via digital channels. Particularly interesting: the further away the nearest retailer location is, the more relevant digital channels become. A strong digital presence on price comparison sites, search engines and online marketplaces should be essential for retailers to reach and retain this target group. Digital offer communication is therefore particularly effective when access to physical shops is limited.
REWE brochure exit: How well informed do customers feel?
One particular example of the impact of different channels of offer communication is the discontinuation of the printed REWE brochure. One year after the changeover, many consumers report that they are now increasingly turning to brochures from other food retailers. Other retailers are benefiting from this gap: consumers are finding out about competitor offers, which opens up new opportunities, particularly in the highly competitive food retail sector. For retailers, this is a clear signal that even in times of digital change, traditional advertising formats are still of great importance - especially if they are cleverly combined with digital offers.
Take regional preferences into account: How to customise your offers
Identified the right channel? So what is the ideal design? While urban consumers value variety, entertainment and personalisation, rural consumers place more value on regional content. This shows that regional and target group-specific targeting of offers is crucial in order to achieve the desired effect. Retailers who integrate these findings into their strategy benefit from greater customer loyalty and increased efficiency of their advertising measures.
Conclusion: Customised offer communication is the key to success
The results of our ChannelUP study make it clear that retailers with a well-thought-out and locally customised offer strategy are considerably more successful. The mix of traditional and digital channels as well as the geo-specific approach offer the potential to strengthen customer loyalty and increase sales. These findings confirm and expand our proven bottom-up approach at MEDIA Central, which is based on a comprehensive foundation of industry-leading geo-data and our many years of expertise in analysing target groups. In this way, we ensure that our clients achieve the greatest possible efficiency and precision in their offer communication.
You can find out more about the latest findings in the free full version of the study, which you can download here .
We also look forward to inviting you to our ECC WEB TALK on 22 October at 2 pm, where we will present the study in more detail. Register now free of charge!