Monday Morning Marketing:                   Trade(r Joe’s) Secrets

New Account Coordinator Meredith Lidard reflects on her favorite grocery chain:

I’m a self-professed Trader Joe’s junkie. I make a trip to my local store on a weekly basis to stock up on my favorite items and check out their newest products. One of my favorite hobbies is swapping Trader Joe’s product recommendations with friends. For someone who thinks grocery shopping is a hassle, I surprisingly look forward to shopping at Trader Joe’s.

While filling up my cart over the weekend, I started thinking about the specific reasons why I love Trader Joe’s so much. Is it the fragrant seasonal plants and flowers that greet customers as they walk in the door? Or the reasonably priced and yummy prepared foods? It could be the samples and free coffee, or the always helpful and cheery employees who go out of their way to check if there’s any more pesto pizza, candy cane tea, trail mix, olive oil, yogurt, etc. in the back.

I’m mostly impressed by the company’s ability to attract customers. From what I’ve read, customers flock to the openings of their newest locations with little to no marketing. And even though they would probably be welcome and become profitable in any city, Trader Joe’s adheres to a restrained business strategy—they only open a handful of new stores a year.

As is the case with many companies, word of mouth and referrals is the strongest form of marketing for Trader Joe’s. I don’t think I’ve ever heard a bad thing said about the chain, except for complaints about small aisles and parking lots at some locations. Yes, the stores are usually packed with people, but even when I’m stuck behind a slow-moving senior citizen or a crying child, I still enjoy shopping there.

It’s a good example of what really works and what we practice at Himmelrich PR—it’s not necessary to spend a lot of money on a marketing campaign if your brand’s strength is good people and good products. And for us, good thinking.