Dive Brief:

• Whole Foods Market announced on Tuesday a partnership with The Weather Channel on summer giveaways linked to rainy weekends.
• Starting Monday through Aug. 9, if Weather Channel meteorologist Stephanie Abrams determines at least half of the continental U.S. had weekend rain, the Amazon-owned grocer will have a limited number of prizes available during the week. 
• The Rainy-Day Redo giveaway series provides a way for Whole Foods to collect consumer data as people visit the grocer's website and Instagram page and enter for a chance to win prizes. 

Dive Insight:

The Rainy-Day Redo campaign provides Whole Foods an opportunity to potentially boost shopper engagement and collect customer data as the grocer looks to rebound from ​lackluster physical store sales and lagging foot traffic. 

The grocer is encouraging people to keep an eye on whether the prize entry will open by sharing Abrams’ weekly weather call on its Instagram. Along with driving shoppers to its social media channel, the giveaway will also allow Whole Foods to gather names, email addresses, phone numbers and street addresses, according to the contest rules. 

The giveaway is also a way for Whole Foods to spotlight products — especially from its private label selection —and possibly drive additional sales. The prize packages, which will be available to the first 200 adults who register following the “rainout” weekend, will include summer-themed items like grilling gear, avocado pool floats, coupons, sunscreen, bags, gift cards and snacks, like cheese, nuts, chips and dip from the 365 by Whole Foods Market line. 

While Whole Foods is marketing the contest as a way to make “calling a rainout a little more enjoyable,” the rules say more than 0.01 inches of rain in at least 24 of the contiguous states will trigger it. 

Whole Foods also used the announcement to plug its webpage for summer products, which promotes recipes for plant-based barbecue, wine, fruit and vegetables, and “lighter” grilled meal options. As pandemic restrictions ease across the U.S., the grocer is aiming to gain shoppers' attention and dollars as they plan summer activities and prepare for grilling season.  

Whole Foods, which is expanding across the U.S. with 43 stores across 19 states and Washington, D.C., revealed in May it's reorganizing several operating divisions as it looks to boost efficiencies.