'We looked to digital': How a regional grocery chain is using Facebook live shopping to get …

As the social commerce arms race continues to take shape, Texas-based grocery chain H-E-B is banking on Facebook’s live shopping feature to reach more shoppers, who are increasingly spending more time online due to the on-going pandemic. It’s also a move to maintain brand relevance and build an online community after Covid-19 safety precautions shuttered the grocer’s in-store cooking demonstration food samplings known as Cooking Connection. “It’s our job to make sure that we continue that relationship with them even when they’re not setting foot into our stores,” said Giovanna Dimperio, senior director of digital marketing at H-E-B. “When COVID struck, and we weren’t able to have that resource in the stores, we looked to digital.” Originally, the regional grocery chain, which also has locations in northeast Mexico, started its weekly, interactive cooking series on Zoom in November 2020. But after Facebook rolled out its live shopping capabilities last May, H-E-B folded the social media giant into its digital video strategy. According to Dimperio, the Facebook series features local chefs and allows viewers to purchase H-E-B products used during the tutorial, down to the very bowl that the chef is using. On average, the Facebook virtual life classes rack up…
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