Y-E-S, a $22B supermarket chain in Texas/Mexico, experienced a pandemic-driven customer engagement decline that persisted post-reopening. The case asks candidates to investigate root causes and develop solutions, with an emphasis on understanding engagement metrics, the impact of low engagement on business performance, and evaluating emerging tactics like livestream commerce.
Key Insights:
- Customer engagement is multifaceted and should be measured across shopping experience (NPS, visit frequency, basket size) and marketing channel interactions (social, email, loyalty programs)
- Livestream commerce is an emerging channel with $6M revenue potential over 2023-24 (30 events at $30k in 2023, 100 events at $50k in 2024), but represents negligible incremental revenue for a multi-billion dollar chain; its real value lies in brand buzz and community building
- Supermarket industry is traditionally tech-light with limited customer engagement levers, requiring creative solutions; generational differences demand tailored approaches (elderly/Gen X vs Gen Z digital natives)
- Root cause analysis should consider pandemic behavioral shifts (shift to online shopping, exposure to digital marketing) and competitive dynamics in a highly commoditized market where customer excitement provides differentiation