By embedding Alchemer’s in-app surveys to capture real-time customer sentiment, Grocery Outlet dramatically improved its mobile app ratings from 1.6 to 4.8 stars—transforming negative feedback into actionable insights and fueling a data-driven strategy for customer engagement, retention, and growth.
“Alchemer is incredibly easy to use for both our marketing team and our customers. I especially love how seamless it is for consumers to respond. They can simply swipe on the stars within the app, which makes it easy to collect a high volume of feedback.”
— Beatrice Nonet-Hori, Director, Digital Marketing & CRM, Grocery Outlet
Based in Emeryville, California, Grocery Outlet is a high-growth, extreme value retailer of quality, name-brand consumables and fresh products sold primarily through a network of independently operated stores. Grocery Outlet and its subsidiaries have more than 540 stores in California, Washington, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Idaho, Maryland, Nevada, North Carolina, New Jersey, Georgia, Ohio, Alabama, Delaware, Kentucky and Virginia.
With the launch of its mobile app in 2024, Grocery Outlet aimed to extend their unique value to the digital space, empowering customers to track savings, view the store’s inventory, access exclusive coupons, and enter sweepstakes like Free Groceries for Life.
On average, order sizes increase 18-20% when a customer signs up for the Grocery Outlet app. The Grocery Outlet app is both a tool for engagement and a rich source of customer data—helping the marketing team understand what shoppers are buying, what they’re searching for but can’t find, and what they should be offering. Those insights allow the Grocery Outlet marketing team to deliver the right product to the right customer at the best price.
Getting to this point wasn’t simple. When Grocery Outlet first launched the app pilot in 2023 it was only available in Washington state. It received low ratings: 1.6 stars on iOS and 2.6 stars on Android primarily from customers in other states that were disappointed the app wasn’t available in their area. When they prepared for full fleet launch, they were concerned that the low ratings would discourage potential users from downloading it.
They needed to quickly address issues impacting customer acquisition and retention. To turn things around, their priorities were to:
Grocery Outlet partnered with Alchemer to integrate feedback collection directly into the mobile app experience. Alchemer’s mobile SDK seamlessly and quickly integrated into both iOS and Android platforms. The marketing team launched targeted surveys that segmented customers based on sentiment and identified exactly where to prioritize improvements.
They are currently using Alchemer to support their key goals: (1) improve their app store ratings and (2) obtain direct customer feedback to inform the app roadmap and future enhancements. By targeting users who express positive sentiment through in-app surveys, they encourage satisfied customers to leave favorable app store reviews. At the same time, they use survey feedback to quickly flag and address any issues customers highlight, continuously enhancing the app experience and deepening customer engagement.
For example, when the Grocery Outlet app first launched, it lacked a search function; customers had to browse through categories to find the products they wanted. Surveys revealed, loud and clear, that users expected an easy way to search. Thanks to this feedback, the team made search functionality one of their first major enhancements, significantly improving the user experience and making it easier for customers to find what they needed within the app.
The intuitive, easy-to-use Alchemer platform made it simple for the marketing team to manage app feedback and just as effortless for users to complete surveys. Response rates grew, fueling a noticeable increase in app downloads.
Within the first month of launching Alchemer:
According to industry research, improving an app’s rating from three to four stars can increase downloads by up to 89%—Grocery Outlet’s results clearly reflect that potential.
Today, Grocery Outlet’s digital team is focused on building deeper loyalty through personalization, targeted offers, and savings-based incentives. With Alchemer in place, they’ve shifted from firefighting low app ratings and reviews to delivering exceptional digital experiences.
By accessing and using this page, you agree to the Terms of Use . Your information will never be shared.