Unilever Joins as Early Partner of Sam’s Club Mobile Checkout Retail Media Offering
Unilever is expanding its access to Sam’s Club consumers through a new capability that integrates physical and digital shopping.
The company has partnered with the Walmart-owned membership warehouse club to tap into consumer shopping behavior insights captured through ads on the Sam’s Club mobile, self-checkout app experience, Scan & Go.
Members who opt-in will get served ads on the cart page in the mobile app as they scan items in-store and complete their purchase digitally, skipping the checkout line. The ads track return on ad spend, click-through rate, incremental sales, conversion rate, and more.
Susan Santone, Unilever associate shopper marketing manager, tells CGT that the ads will help Unilever consumers discover more products that complement their current baskets. “For example, a customer scan of a Hellmann’s Mayonnaise product could prompt an ad for a related Knorr item sold in-club,” she says.
“The metrics that this capability provides will also help us track purchases tied to the Hellmann’s campaign so we can optimize and ensure we’re reaching our goals, performing well in key channels, and making our brands unmissable,” adds Jennifer Bryce, Unilever retail media investment and partnerships.
Unilever’s Data Journey
The move is an extension of Unilever's longtime partnership with Walmart to expand its consumer behavior database. Earlier this year, the company became a tester for Walmart’s beta self-serve Digital Landscape offering within the Luminate platform. The partnership allows Unilever to capture enhanced information about where shoppers discover and purchase their products.
“We want to understand the full customer journey, even before a transaction occurs,” Sarah Malinski, Unilever's chief digital commerce officer for the U.S., told CGT during the launch of the pilot. “For example, we want to know the extent that customers add to cart directly from search results vs. engage with the product description page.”
The company is also working with Samsung on a data-sharing concept that brings together consumer behavior data and emerging technologies within the laundry segment to create more connected, smart, and convenient experiences.
