Some of Alan's views on this digital marketing malarkey ... there's more on: AlanCharlesworth.com

Monday, August 15, 2011

Sainsbury's: poor service ... and an opportunity lost?

My local Sainsury's has - and still is - had significant renovation, including a big extension. Over recent weeks [months even] I have been mightily impressed with the project planning as various parts of the store were worked on and the building extended in several directions. In all that time the shop continued to trade with minimal impact on customers - full marks for the planning department and the contractors and staff involved. Sadly, the same cannot be said for the online-marketing department.

You see, to bring the project to an end with the 'old' shop becoming the 'new' shop - it has closed. No problem there; big signs around the shop last week saying it was closing - but I can't remember when it said it was re-opening. And I need some groceries. So I went to the Sainsbury's website .. and for 'my' branch got this page:
No mention of it being closed [the poor service] - and nothing about the improvements being undertaken which will [presumably] make it a better place to shop. Two points:
(i) the exercise will have cost a lot [millions?], so developing a temporary web page would have been a drop in the ocean in financial terms, but even worse ...
(ii) why is 'online' treated as insignificant in the planning of the refurbishment and re-launch of a 'new' store? I bet the local media advertising was booked months ago.

Footnote #1, a couple of days later: Last night there was a [PR] article in the local newspaper about the re-opening of the store - but still no message on the website saying that the shop is now bigger and stocks a wider range of products.

Footnote #2, beginning of the next week - and a flyer through my door, which includes this page:

... but still no mention of the new meat & fish counters or the new clothing and homeware on the web page for the branch. Ho hum.