Visual communications solutions provider Imagine has launched Dotti, an intelligent in-store marketing platform designed to help brands manage their visual merchandising and in-store marketing at scale and eliminate waste and redundancies.

With Dotti, brands have complete control and visibility, right down to the local level, when customizing and delivering promotional materials at retail, according to a media release. Imagine says the platform simplifies the exchange of data and information through features and functionality that talk to each other.

Dotti will roll out a series of “tightly integrated” modules built on a single, intelligent platform, per the release. Imagine says the modules will get smarter and more capable over time, and new modules will be “strategically planned” and released to ease “the challenges of managing in-store marketing programs.”

In the first set of module releases, Dotti Shop capabilities include customizable catalogs, budgets, user roles, easy asset ordering and distribution to individual store locations. Dotti Print allows for the customization and ordering of localized printed assets.

Both Dotti Shop and Print are available immediately. Some key benefits include:

• End-to-end management: Dotti helps brands streamline in-store marketing and promotional programs from asset ordering to budgets. It ensures every aspect of a promotion is under complete control.

• Customizable catalogs and user roles: Manage and shop assets effortlessly with fully customizable catalogs and user roles, simplifying complex brand and store configurations.
• Asset customization: Dotti brings the convenience of localization and ordering of printed assets to a single smart platform, eliminating disjointed processes.

“Consumer demands are constantly changing, and brands are challenged to adapt quickly to new requirements,” Don McKenzie, Acting CEO and executive chair of Imagine, said in the release. “The ability to remain flexible and fast has never been more acute. Our clients have been asking for a single, smart platform that can help them successfully manage in-store marketing assets. Dotti addresses this need at scale, providing efficiency and cost effectiveness. [It] allows our clients to work smarter, not harder.”

At the Path to Purchase Institute’s P2PI LIVE & Expo on Nov. 7-9 in St. Louis, Mondelez International will dive in to how it leverages Web3 environments to identify opportunities to drive shopper engagement.

While the long-term vision for the metaverse is a 3D, virtual world distinct from our own, Cristina Marinucci, Mondelez’s global head of shopper excellence, says it's unlikely that we'll see a bright dividing line between the "real" world and the metaverse.

In this session, Marinucci will explore technologies such as mixed and augmented reality and how they blend digital information and the physical world in exciting new ways.

Specifically, Marinucci will share how Mondelez is unlocking short-term metaverse/Web3 opportunities while keeping an eye on the longer-term future by following a holistic, future-focused learning journey approach. Attendees will:

• Get a baseline understanding of emerging Web3 technologies and company adoption.
• Get an understanding of the current state of Web3 strategies.
• Learn what Web3 means for Mondelez.

Don’t miss this session on Thursday, Nov. 9, from 3:10-4 p.m. Explore our agenda and robust speaker lineup, and register for the event here.

The Kroger Company has rolled out a Hispanic-inspired private label to its stores and online.

Kroger Mercado includes an assortment of more than 50 products, including fresh meat, beverages, snacks, sides and desserts.

The brand is inspired by the tradition of Latin American foods and incorporate core Hispanic ingredients, according to a media release. Products include queso fresco, chorizo ground sausage, pre-cooked white corn meal, Oaxaca cheese ball and Agua fresca in tropical mango and watermelon guava flavors.

"Kroger Mercado embraces Hispanic culinary heritage with the quality and innovation our customers have come to know and expect from Our Brands," Juan De Paoli, vice president, Our Brands for Kroger, said in the release. "We are thrilled to offer authentic products that are accessible and exceptional in quality, creating a brand that fills a void for some customers and creates a cultural experience for others."

Kroger Mercado joins the retail giant’s roster of private-label brands sold at its banners. Kroger's Our Brands includes more than 13,000 items under brands such as Private Selection, Simple Truth, Murray's Cheese, Home Chef, Smart Way and Vitacost.

Kroger Mercado products are available in-store, through Kroger Pickup or delivered using Boost by Kroger Plus, the retailer’s delivery membership.

Retail media managed service provider Flywheel has completed its global reporting API integration with Publicis Groupe’s CitrusAd.

The integration of CitrusAd’s reporting API allows data to connect to Flywheel’s application and provides versatility for client reporting, according to a media release. Additionally, the integration makes new features, ongoing data improvements with enhanced shopper history and reporting metrics readily available to support clients.

The CitrusAd API provides clients with greater support and better customer experiences through “hyper-intelligent” advertising, per the release. Flywheel has a client services team of more than 250 people that provide high-touch managed services to drive strategy, planning, execution and reporting.

“Flywheel works with many of the world's largest, most sophisticated brands, and who in turn are critical customers for our retail clients,” Jaclyn Nix, executive vice president, media sales and operations at CitrusAd, said in the release. “Their skilled client services team now has access to advanced metrics to better support clients.”

According to data released in “The State of Retail Media in 2023” report from CitrusAd and its parent company, Epsilon, 75% of brands want transparency on up-to-date campaign performance reports. The global survey of retailers and brands also identified total sales (47%) and return on ad spend (47%) as brands’ top metrics for measuring retail media campaigns. P2PI members can access the report’s full findings here.

“This integration allows us to drive better results for our clients and their retail partners through reliable data and ad technology,” Sandy Welsch, vice president, omnichannel platforms at Flywheel, said in the release.

German grocery chain Aldi Nord is testing self-checkout solutions at several stores in the Netherlands. The scan & go technology, kiosks and exit terminals are supplied by Shopreme, an Austria-based self-checkout solutions provider.

Not to be confused with Aldi Sud, which operates Aldi stores in the U.S., Aldi Nord does own Trader Joe’s, though there are currently none in the Netherlands and the chain primarily runs independently.

This initiative marks the first time Aldi Nord is testing dedicated self-checkout areas across all selected pilot stores, according to a media release from Shopreme.

The test implements Shopreme’s scan & go technology in the retailer’s mobile app, allowing shoppers to use the app to scan products and make payments via their preferred payment method (e.g., iDEAL, debit card, credit card, Google Pay and Apple Pay). Shoppers are issued a digital receipt within the app, allowing them to leave the store by scanning an exit code at the Shopreme vector terminal, which opens the checkout gate.

Shoppers can also leverage an alternative purchase method by scanning their products at Aldi Nord’s self-checkout kiosks provided by Shopreme, which says its user interface “resembles a modern smartphone app,” per the release. The kiosks dispense a short exit code receipt that opens the vector exit terminal so shoppers can exit the store after payment.

"At Aldi Nord, we are systematically leveraging the advantages of digitization and automation,” Dr. Christian Bock, team lead self-service checkout & cashless payment at Aldi Nord, said in the release. “To offer our customers a hassle-free experience, we are testing different shopping experiences and evaluating modern checkout systems. Shopreme has proven to be a reliant partner to gain a bigger picture of future checkout technologies, also referring to our in-store processes. These aspects play a crucial role when developing a long-term checkout strategy."

Dollar Tree’s Family Dollar will roll out an enhanced mobile app, which includes an updated shopping and savings experience, in October.

The discount chain’s mobile overhaul includes a fresh interface and more seamless navigation system to help shoppers manage coupons using a redesigned wallet feature, explore engaging weekly ads and easily locate products with intelligent searches, according to a media release.

"The launch of our new Family Dollar app is one more step in the digital transformation currently underway at Dollar Tree and Family Dollar,” Bobby Aflatooni, chief information officer, Dollar Tree, said in the release. “We are investing across the enterprise to make shopping with us even easier and more enjoyable. The redesigned Family Dollar app reflects the customer-centric approach we've applied to our digital roadmap to improve the shopping experience for our loyal shoppers and new customers alike."

Future phases of the digital transformation will include Family Dollar app features in early 2024, including in-app e-commerce, personalization capabilities and an evolved rewards experience, as well as a Dollar Tree mobile experience the retailer says its customers are seeking, per the release.

"We believe this new user experience will not only appeal to our customers but to brands who want to promote their products to our millions of customers through Chesapeake Media Group, our retailer media network," added Emily Turner, chief marketing officer, Dollar Tree.

The discount retailer selected digital consultancy Publicis Sapient to lead the program and enable Family Dollar’s enhanced mobile experience platform.

"We are proud to support Family Dollar in the launch of its new mobile experience using our core capabilities (strategy, product, experience, engineering and data and AI),” Sudip Mazumder, senior vice president, retail industry lead, North America at Publicis Sapient, said in the release. “The work is designed to offer exceptional usability and a best-in-class customer experience."