Hy-Vee (West Des Moines, Iowa) supermarkets are expanding efforts to bring experiential shopping to its consumers. Last year, the employee-owned chain debuted a pilot program in 12 stores in the Minneapolis and St. Paul areas and, based on the success of that program, are now expanding the program into more than 200 of its 235 stores throughout the Midwest.
A key element of the program is offering in-store sampling and demos to customers. According to National Retail Federation, research has shown that 96 percent of shoppers prefer shopping at retailers with these in-store opportunities and are more likely to purchase the products sampled.
Hy-Vee is working with retail services and experiential marketing agency Interactions on implementing these programs.