MarketDial champions all retailers who test. And, while we undoubtedly want retailers to test with us, we believe anyone conducting tests deserves a shout out. Join us each month as we raise a toast to some of the remarkable initiatives being tested by diverse retail organizations worldwide.
NBC Universal partners with Walmart Connect to test sports streaming ads
Heard of shoppable ads? They provide an interactive way to enable viewers to purchase a product direct from a livestreamed advertisement. Roku has already jumped into this space with Walmart, and now sports streaming from NBCUniversal wants in on the action. The new partnership between NBCUniversal and Walmart will allow products to advertise during prime sports streams, with purchases on the platform being tracked through Walmart Connect. Its a win-win-win-win for NBCUniversal, Walmart, advertisers, and sports-enthusiast consumers alike. Wanna learn more about retail media networks? Read here.
Chipotle tests Chippy, a chip-frying robot
Would you like some salt and lime on those chips? Chippy has you covered. Miso Robotics has customized a robot that can cook and season Chipotle’s chip recipe with precision. The robot is currently being tested at the company’s innovation hub, Chipotle Cultivate Center, located in Irivne, CA. It was created through tweaks to the Flippy 2 robot tested by White Castle, Buffalo Wild Wings, and Jack in the Box.
Volvo teams up with H-E-B Grocery Co to test weather impact on EV batteries
The big challenge with EV car batteries is maintaining range during weather extremes. To assess these logistics, Volvo has partnered with the University of Minnesota and H-E-B Grocery Co. in Texas to test battery performance in extreme cold and hot temperatures, respectively. Volvo is also testing different routes and payload weights to assist drivers with route planning and performance optimization. Michicgan-based Meijer was a market leader in testing EV trucks when it added two battery-electric trucks to its fleet earlier this year.
Bloomingdale’s pilots Bloomie’s in high-income areas
How do you shield yourself from inflation? Ensure you appeal to a high-income market. That’s exactly the mentality driving Bloomingdale’s strategy, with smaller store Bloomie’s beginning to bloom in high-income, high-traffic areas. Given the work-from-home changing landscape of downtown areas, Bloomie’s seeks to capitalize on creating small-scale but high-end shopping experiences alongside new foot traffic patterns. As their website states: “We’ve taken everything you know and love about Bloomingdale’s and edited it into something at once totally familiar and completely unlike anything you’ve ever seen from us.”
Loblaw’s Real Canadian Superstore tests in-store big appliance sales
One-stop-shopping just got even easier. Now you can buy yogurt and a fridge all in one stop. Loblaws is testing a store-within-a-store concept by adding big appliances to its shopping selection. Teaming up with Canadian Appliance Source, Loblaw’s will now be able to offer ovens, stoves, refrigerators, freezers, washers, and dryers from multiple brands within its shopping space.
How about you? What are you testing? Did you know testing enables you to see the impact of your ingenious ideas before implementing a large-scale rollout?
Make informed decisions by putting all your retail initiatives to the test with MarketDial. Learn more about the retailers who trust us as their test-and-learn partner, and read about the exciting things tested and toasted by MarketDial here: Case Studies
If you would like to be toasted or would like to raise a glass to a testing retailer, please contact us at: [email protected]
Missed previous toasts? Catch them here:
February 2023
March 2023
April 2023
May 2023
