Digital Marketing and Grocery Retailing Evidence From a Large Retailer in Italy and Belarus

The objective of this work is to obtain information and identify the elements that allow for highlighting the ability of the grocery retailers which use the web and the social media to expand their own reference markets and establish lasting relationships with consumers, while establishing high loyalty rates of the same. In addition, taking account of the social capital theory, (Oxoby,2009). by which social capital concerns the flows of commitments, effort and time that individuals make available to others with benefits for the economic system, it is highlighted how the digital marketing strategy of large grocery firms contributes to an increase in the social capital through enhancing of stock in trust, network and norms. The information will be acquired by means of interviews with customers of a retailer in Italy and another in Belarus, both of which have implemented a marketing activity and activated sales through e-commerce thanks to setting up a website. The cross-country comparison is used for the purpose of tracking the development trajectories of the marketing activities implemented by the retailers in the different country contexts. This chapter first examines literature concerning three different areas of interest: a) the characteristics of large grocery retailers and their marketing activity; b) the internet development, new devices and the emergence of Digital Marketing; c) the digital challenge and opportunities for retailers. Secondly the aim of this work is to interpret the results of a questionnaire to be filled out by the customers of the two retailers in order to explore the possibility of the implementation of digital marketing policies by grocery retailers which simultaneously use both traditional and web sales channels