For discount retailers, price used to be the positioning.
Today, the picture is much more interesting.
In a recent interview, Lidl Switzerland describes how its brand has evolved from pure price leadership towards a broader proposition built around:
• Price
• Freshness
• Quality
• Regionality
• Sustainability
• Customer experience
And there is an important marketing lesson here.
Value is becoming multidimensional.
Consumers still care deeply about price, particularly in grocery.
But the winning proposition isn't necessarily the lowest number on the shelf.
It's the combination of price, quality, convenience, trust and relevance that makes customers feel they are getting genuine value.
The same evolution is happening in how retailers communicate.
Lidl Switzerland talks about combining broad-reach mass communication with more targeted, individual customer dialogue.
Its Lidl Plus app provides personalised offers and customer data.
Social media builds conversation and engagement.
Emotional brand campaigns create affinity.
And promotional communication provides the everyday proof of the value proposition.
None replaces the other.
They perform different jobs along the customer journey.
That's an important distinction as retail marketing becomes increasingly data-driven.
Personalisation is powerful.
But so is reach.
Brand building matters.
But so does the promotion that helps someone decide what to put in their basket this week.
Perhaps the most effective retail marketing strategy isn't choosing between mass and personalised, brand and activation, physical and digital.
It's understanding how they work together.
Because consumers don't experience channels.
They experience the retailer.
And ultimately, that's where value has to be delivered.
What does value mean to your customers today?