Dive Brief:

• Giant Eagle announced on Wednesday the debut of Leap Media Group, an in-house retail media arm that leverages the regional grocer’s customer loyalty program. 
• By tapping into its myPerks loyalty program, Giant Eagle can connect Leap with over 14 million customers via online properties, apps, social media and more as well as in-store.
• As retail media increasingly becomes a priority in the grocery industry, more regional grocers are joining national chains like Albertsons, Instacart and Walmart in establishing retail media networks.

Dive Insight:

Giant Eagle’s decision to establish Leap in-house — rather than partner with a third-party technology provider — reflects the company’s desire to have better control over its media network, Damian Scott, the grocer’s executive vice president of retail media and front-end digital, said in an interview.

Leap has a reach spanning Giant Eagle’s owned omnichannel properties as well as online and offline, including on social media, influencer content, traditional and connected TV, and more, according to the announcement. Brand partners of the regional grocer and the Leap network are then able to place targeted ads, create seasonal programs and measure impact. 

Giant Eagle already has a “core few” CPG partners, Scott said, including Nestlé, Mondelēz, General Mills and Coca-Cola. 

The retail media offering is using myPerks data to engage customers, Scott said. In addition to leveraging its loyalty program, the grocer aims to have its retail media network stand out through an easy customer engagement experience as well as a speedy system for creating ads shoppers want to see, Scott said. 

“[Customers] don’t want an ad for things they don’t buy. And at the end of the day, it allows us to communicate with our customers much better,” Scott said. 

The grocer also does all of the activations for Leap itself and does not send data gathered by the network out to a third-party technology company, Scott said. Giant Eagle has media buyers who purchase media directly, he said, and through a programmatic media partnership with The Trade Desk, the grocer can target its customers without having to use an external partner. 

“We focus on keeping the customer engaged and protecting their data,” Scott said. 

Since Scott joined Giant Eagle in 2018 as a senior director for performance marketing, the grocer has been working on its digital transformation, he said. In 2020, Scott became the grocer’s senior vice president and chief customer officer, a role that involved developing and implementing technology to streamline the customer experience. 

Giant Eagle’s retail media team currently consists of more than 30 team members, some of whom focus fully on Leap while others contribute from their own department, said Scott, who has been the executive vice president of retail media and front-end digital since May. 

Other regional grocers are also stepping into the retail media space. Late last month, Save Mart announced the launch of its retail media network enabled by an expanded partnership with Swiftly. The retailer upgraded its websites to suit the digital advertising platform following Swiftly starting to provide support to the grocer’s mobile applications last year.

Sprouts Farmers Market also unveiled a retail media network with Instacart’s Carrot Ads technology in early May. Through the network, CPG companies can target ads specifically to the specialty grocer’s online shoppers.