Dive Brief:

• Ahold Delhaize banner Hannaford has left Twitter as the grocer refocuses its attention to social media platforms with stronger customer engagement, a spokesperson for the grocer said in an email. 
• The grocery banner, which has more than 180 stores in New England and New York, is instead encouraging its shoppers to follow the company’s profiles on other social media channels.
• Hannaford is placing its attention on its Facebook, TikTok and Pinterest profiles, the spokesperson said, noting that these platforms, as a whole, are more effectively reaching customers. 

Dive Insight:

In recent years, Hannaford found that customer engagement was steadily increasing on Facebook, TikTok and Pinterest, the spokesperson said.

In 2022, the grocer saw triple the number of customer engagements on Facebook than on Twitter, the spokesperson said, noting that Hannaford hadn’t leveraged Twitter on a regular basis “for quite some time.”

“To our valued followers: As of today, Hannaford will no longer be active on Twitter,” the grocery chain tweeted Feb. 27. “We hope you’ll continue to follow us on one (or more!) of our other social media accounts.”

The grocer has continued to respond to tweets past that date, noting in its answers and comments that the company is in the process of leaving Twitter and pointing people to its other social media channels. 

Twitter can serve as a way for people to ferry complaints, questions and concerns to brands — Salesforce dubbed it “the new 1-800 number.” Some grocers, like Kroger, leverage Twitter to respond to claims. 

The Hannaford spokesperson noted that the grocer welcomes customer feedback through its dedicated customer service center, which is available both online and by phone.

Hannaford’s move away from Twitter underscores the variety of social media programs that retailers now utilize to keep their shoppers engaged. Simply relaying information isn’t enough: Companies are now looking for ways to entertain consumers and to directly boost sales through tools like shoppable recipes.

On TikTok, Hannaford has videos promoting its private brands and customer rewards programs, along with sharing recipes, health and nutrition tips. The company has 11,500 followers and 16,900 likes on that platform.

The company has more than 117,350 followers on Facebook and 13,100 on Instagram. Its posts on those platforms include videos, employee spotlights, content focused on holidays and observations, like Black History Month, and more.  

The company receives more than 341,000 monthly views on its Pinterest, which has 2,200 followers and is filled with recipes.

“As our social communities on these platforms grow, we feel compelled to turn our focus towards the channels where our customers are choosing to interact with us the most,” the spokesperson said. 

Hannaford has a full-time social media team, including a dedicated social media manager and social media specialist, the spokesperson noted.