Advertorial
The rise of dark stores
Independent retailers and symbol groups alike are conscious of the threat of dark stores, with growing consumer demand for faster, contactless delivery options. Snappy Shopper believes in the value of the high street and the importance of local retailers within communities. In contrast, the growing number of faceless ‘dark stores’ operate remotely from warehouses, threatening the livelihood of convenience retailers throughout the UK.
Mike Callachan, Snappy Shopper CEO, shares his view on the current marketplace and what makes Snappy the natural choice for retailers striving to evolve and compete:
“I think retailers are taking a big risk if they don’t offer some form of home delivery option. Dark stores aside, customers are all about convenience and when they have the option to order bread, milk and other essentials from their mobile phone, rather than take time out of their busy day to walk to the nearest shop, it is a no brainer as to which option they are going to choose.
“The beauty of Snappy Shopper is that it allows retailers to maintain those face-to-face relationships with their customers, whilst providing them with greater accessibility to their products. When retailers join our platform, we don’t ask them to compromise on their bricks-and-mortar store – we simply enable them to expand their business and access new routes to market. By adding this additional offering, our top 20 stores have achieved an additional £620k of revenue** from the Snappy Shopper app and many retailers quote 80% of customers shopping on Snappy Shopper being incremental new customers who do not visit the shop.
“For us, it’s all about supporting the retailer and taking their suggestions on board to constantly evolve and improve our platform. Based on their feedback, we understand that while many of their existing customers do place additional orders through the platform, the majority are new customers and the basket spend is much higher. Most of these individuals would never have visited their store in person, allowing them to increase their customer base, without impacting physical footfall.
“This reiterates how Snappy are able to help local retailers compete against dark stores, who they recognise as a very real threat, without compromising their physical store offering. As a company, we’re also very keen to help develop their relationships in the local community, whether that be by sponsoring local sports teams, donating to charity partnerships or other valuable initiatives. We provide them with the technology to offer home delivery , while simultaneously supporting their high street presence, which will always be a priority for Snappy.”
Survival of the fittest
Not only do Snappy Shopper equip their retail partners with the user-friendly technology to offer local grocery delivery, but they support them in driving maximum sales and revenue through the platform. Committed to helping each and every store thrive, they provide extensive onboarding and marketing support, as well as a dedicated Account Manager for each retailer. Retailers can expect:
- 1-2-1 onboarding support from the moment you sign up
- Dedicated Account Manager to ensure you’re getting the very best out of the platform
- A Snappy Shopper point of sale kit including pavement signs, shelf talkers, window posters, flyers, shelf roundels and car magnets
- A paid social media marketing campaign to coincide with your launch on the platform, managed by our experienced team
- Snappy-funded promotions each month to drive acquisition e.g. ‘£5 off this March’
- Regular email campaigns targeting lapsed or inactive customers
- Support in developing local community partnerships with sports teams, charities, etc
Hear how current Snappy Shopper retailers have benefited from the platform and high-level support:
Inspired to take your store to the next level and watch your sales skyrocket? Register with Snappy Shopper today.
*£26 average basket spend on Snappy Shopper platform vs. £10 in-store average.
** Figure by top 20 stores in 12 months from 1.11.2021
