At a time when the independent grocery store is a dying breed, Fresh Encounter is thriving. The 32-store chain based in Findlay, Ohio has locations in Ohio and eastern Indiana under a variety of names, including Community Markets, Great Scot, Fulmer, Save-A-Lot, and Sack 'N Save.
Fresh Encounter is a family-owned operation whose chairman, Mike Needler, purchased the chain from his father-in-law in 1995. He then embarked on an expansion program that is still growing the company to this day. The family tradition continues as well with a third generation at the helm. Needler's son-in-law, Eric Anderson, is Fresh Encounter's Chief Marketing Officer and one of its two co-presidents.
Why They're Special
Unlike many chains, Fresh Encounter gives each of its store managers a great deal of autonomy in order to meet the wants and needs of local customers. "We position ourselves as the crossroads of the community," Anderson says. "We want to be the first ones that people call when they're in need of anything involving the local community," whether it's donating gift cards and food to agencies that feed the needy, or sponsoring special fundraising efforts for groups and organizations.
Why has Fresh Encounter succeeded in holding its own against the large regional and national grocery chains? "We have a better feel for who our customers are," Anderson says. "When you know somebody and you can call them a friend or neighbor, you know what their needs are."
Marketing Goals
While their approach to customer service is clearly "old school," Anderson says Fresh Encounter is on the cutting edge of marketing. "My goal is to make sure I'm in tune with the latest ways to communicate with our customers. I've got to make sure I'm using all the right technology, avenues, and touch points to get to my end-user."
In addition to using print, radio, television, online and email campaigns, Anderson employs "mobile marketing" with a system that uses text messages to deliver news of discounts and free offers to customers. Shoppers simply show the message from their cell phone to the cashier to take advantage of the offer.
Once customers are in the store, Anderson says the Point-Of-Purchase Audio Marketing services provided by BusinessVoice help improve the total sale. (BusinessVoice has provided in-store messaging and On Hold Marketing to Fresh Encounter locations since 2004.)
Anderson says with BusinessVoice, "we've done much more 'call to action' in the store." For example, at this moment, you have an opportunity to purchase something right out of the oven, or right out of the fryer. For us, it's been fairly effective. There's a lot of opportunity to do more of that; creating a sense of urgency and getting our customers acting on it."
Client Testimonial
Just as customer service is important to Fresh Encounter's success, Anderson says outstanding service is what sets BusinessVoice apart from the rest.
"When I pick up the phone and call, I can talk to someone who knows my name, who knows my account and can address my needs, and it gets done. They are second to none. [And] having the flexibility to change my messaging, to change my audio image on a dime is very, very important to me."
Anderson recounts a Fresh Encounter promotion a few years ago that was built around a circus theme. "This was before we had the capability to download music, and the BusinessVoice team visited all of our stores the same day to install the proper theme music so it was running just for this afternoon promotion, along with special messages. That was definitely over the top."
The Future
So what does the future hold for Fresh Encounter? Anderson says it's a real challenge to predict which marketing channels will be prevalent in five or ten years. He's certain though that the company will continue to grow with select acquisitions in smaller cities where there will always be a place for a local grocery store with friendly service and a community spirit.
The Client