Fareway Stores, Inc. is a growing, family-owned Midwest grocery company currently operating 125 grocery stores in Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, Nebraska, and South Dakota. In an effort to more deeply connect customers and employees around the market’s high quality produce and signature meat counters, the ownership is now deploying integrated signage solutions in all locations with plans to complete the installations by mid 2020.
Fareway’s goal was to transform their original neighborhood meat market concept store into an inviting modern shopping experience, providing guests with real-time, dynamic visual updates on pricing and sales, as well as food pairing suggestions and health facts as a form of engagement and branding.
Fareway leadership envisioned displays that would accurately and clearly portray the rich colors and vivid details of Fareway’s fresh products, as well as attention-grabbing info and news. Most importantly, the displays would need to seamlessly connect to one another for quick, simple use from a central location.
The company hired interactive digital signage solutions provider ADFLOW and technology partner LG Business Solutions. The implementation of the LG 55SM5KE displays and ADFLOW solution met Fareway’s goals with an immersive experience that can be easily updated in real-time.
The ability to consistently maintain visual updates and marketing materials from a central location was enabled by ADFLOW’s Dynamic Messaging System content management software. Updates can be performed by corporate marketing or at the individual store location, enabling Fareway to provide a more relevant and engaging experience that drives brand awareness, consideration, sales and loyalty.
“We were attracted to the ease in which content can be managed through the LG displays, allowing us to add a more personalized touch while complementing additional marketing materials that highlight our quality selections,” said Fareway’s Vice President-Retail Market Operations Jeff Cook. With the new system, our managers also have the capability to repurpose social media, customize promotion templates, and highlight seasonal recipes, Cook explained.
The ease of installation allowed Fareway to manage this work in-house, highlighting the value that its employees bring to the family-owned business. The team successfully completed the concept store installation on time and continues to implement the solution in additional locations. As of September 2019, more than half the chain-wide store installations are complete, and all remaining stores are scheduled to be upgraded by mid-2020.
