When the French retail giant Carrefour learned that their customers in Brazil increasingly preferred shopping in person, they needed a digital strategy that could unlock a physical opportunity. Though Carrefour customers were also spending time online, their digital experience was geared toward research, while purchases were more frequently made in stores. Store visits are a key driver of brand loyalty, and Carrefour knew that if it developed its strategy correctly, it could impact business in both the short and the long-term.
To bridge the digital-physical divide, Carrefour Brazil collaborated with Waze on a 25-day campaign, culminating on Black Friday. Their goal was to increase foot traffic to their stores, grow customer loyalty, and learn more about what their shoppers wanted, and when they wanted it.
Building on a foundational strategy
Business and Media Marketing Executive Thiago Cesar Silva first took a look at Carrefour’s current strategies with Waze. After analyzing the searches and pins, he mapped out a digital strategy for November, taking opportunities to enrich the Waze brand experience at every turn.
Outreach without interruption
Thiago developed a multi-format campaign to display a different takeover message each day from Carrefour on the Waze app. The ad would let drivers know about daily discounts and other relevant offers. On the last day of the campaign, Carrefour reached out to drivers through First Look, encouraging shoppers to head to a store for Black Friday.
When we compare the Black Friday numbers to average visits, Carrefour grew by 112%, while the supermarket category increased by around 56%.
Thiago Cesar Silva, Business and Media Marketing Executive, Carrefour Brazil
Impressive increases across brand and category
Carrefour Brazil’s messaging reached 5.8 million people in November 2019. The week of Black Friday, visits to Carrefour supermarkets increased by 33%. As for the big day itself, visits to Carrefour’s retail stores grew 112% compared to the running average. The Carrefour supermarket category in particular saw a 56% increase in visits. Carrefour’s success with this campaign is threefold: More purchases, more data on what shoppers are looking for and when, and an increase in customer loyalty driven by the in-store experience.
For Thiago and his team, partnering with Waze is a smart way to integrate multiple strategies at once. Campaigns are measurable, from reach to impact, and help provide additional data on customer demands. Thiago’s team also enjoys the flexibility of the available campaign options. For example, they’re continuing to take advantage of Waze’s “Always on” feature to connect with customers. By thinking digitally on a physical opportunity, Carrefour successfully generated higher loyalty, key customer insights and happier shoppers.
