Dollar General’s in-store audio network connects brands with ‘hard-to-reach’ customers

Last month, Dollar General launched an in-store audio network, enhancing its in-store and online ad solutions.

“Advertisers are always looking for more relevant ways to engage with customers, looking for additional touch points in the customer journey, and in-store audio presents that opportunity to brand,” said Charlene Charles, head of operations at Dollar General’s retail media network, DG Media Network.

The discount retailer has noticed other networks “leaning back into in-store,” but brick-and-mortar has always been key to Dollar General’s retail media strategy.

• “We like to affectionately remind people we never left the store,” said Charles, noting Dollar General’s footprint of 20,000 stores enables the retailer to engage with customers in-store as well as online.
• “We have a unique, hard-to-reach, hard-to-measure, rural, elusive customer—80% of our stores serve markets of 20,000 people or less,” she said. “And we’ve done research with The Trade Desk, and they verified that 50% of our customers aren't included in some third-party demo segments.”

Dollar General’s stores are somewhat small, making it easier for shoppers to get in and out—and for DG Media Network to leverage in-store audio to boost discovery.

“Our stores are only 7,400 square feet, and we see that as a way to help customers with deal-seeking and discovery,” said Charles.

The audio network is open to a select group of advertiser partners as DG Media Network figures out how to get the best results.

• “We're actually currently testing through the end of this year, and the focus is demonstrating measurable impact,” said Charles. The network is focused on what it calls “real-time return,” the number of transactions associated with a brand within 15 minutes of the ad playing in-store.”
• In the future, DG Media Network wants to test jingles, different voices, or incorporate brand partners into the audio mix.

In-store audio should complement the digital campaigns advertisers are running through DG Media Network.

“Seventy percent of our shoppers actually visit our website and then go to a store within 14 days,” said Charles. “So when you think about the majority of our transactions already being in-store, this is a seamless fit into our strategy. Brands can help consumers connect what they’re seeing on TV or display ads and then mirror that experience in-store.”

This was originally featured in the Retail Media Weekly newsletter. For more marketing insights, statistics, and trends, subscribe here.