Aldi UK and Carrefour España were the top-performing grocers on Facebook and Instagram, respectively, in Q2, according to Emplifi. This article first appeared in ESM's September/October edition.
A cheeky campaign from Aldi UK to promote its ‘Cuthbert the Caterpillar’ cake was the best-performing Facebook post for European grocers in the second quarter of 2023, while Carrefour España again led the way on Instagram, according to the latest Social Supermarkets report, in association with Emplifi (www.emplifi.io).
According to Emplifi, the Retail category accounted for 16.3% of total brand interactions on Facebook in the second quarter, behind E-commerce (30.7%), but ahead of Services (7.6%), Fashion (6.1%), Travel (6.1%) and Auto (4.6%). Retail’s share is also higher than it was in the first quarter (13.4%).
Post Types
In terms of the post types that retailers are utilising on Facebook, photo posts still account for the largest share, of more than 60%, while video posts accounted for just under 20% – a higher percentage than in Q1. Status, link and live video posts still account for a minimal share.
Despite their low take-up, live video posts perform the best on Facebook, Emplifi’s data found, with 50 median post interactions, which is 26 more than the second-highest post type, link.
On Instagram, meanwhile, the Retail category accounted for 7.7% of total brand share – down from 8.1% in the first quarter. E-commerce (41.9%) accounted for the highest brand share on Instagram, with Fashion accounting for 13.9%, Services 7.7%, Beauty 3.9% and Sporting Goods 3.2%.
The past quarter has seen ‘reel’ posts become the most-used post types by supermarket and hypermarket operators on Instagram, accounting for close to 45% of total posts, while image posts have slipped back, accounting for less than 40%. Carousel, aka multi-image, posts also remain popular, however, this has dropped back to account for less than 20% of total Instagram posts by retailers in the quarter. Elsewhere, video posts account for a minimal percentage.
As with the data for Facebook, Emplifi’s data showed that, despite their limited usage, video posts on Instagram performed the strongest, with 218 median post interactions, which is 101 more than the second-highest post type, reel.
Top Performers On Facebook
Garnering a total of 789,197 interactions from 171 posts, Aldi UK was the best-performing retailer on Facebook during the quarter – ahead of rival Asda, which achieved 651,812 interactions from 84 posts.
Germany’s Kaufland (571,216 interactions from 207 posts), Carrefour España (502,607 interactions from 274 posts) and discount retailer B&M Stores (342,749 interactions from 273 posts) round off the top five.
As mentioned previously, the overall top-performing post during the quarter was a campaign to promote Aldi UK’s Cuthbert the Caterpillar cake, recently the subject of a much-publicised spat with Marks & Spencer. The humorous campaign generated 46,684 interactions during the quarter, ahead of campaigns for E.Leclerc Drive (46,285 interactions and 31,565 interactions, respectively).
Top Performers On Instagram
Carrefour España continues to dominate the rankings of the top retail performers on Instagram, with 825,749 interactions from 138 posts during the second quarter.
Rival Spanish retailer Lidl España places second, with 572,477 interactions from 150 posts, while the rest of the top five is comprised of Carrefour France (408,563 interactions from 88 posts), Kaufland (350,776 interactions from 179 posts) and Aldi UK (223,326 interactions from 103 posts).
Historically, Carrefour España has used the platform effectively for competitions, and this quarter is no different, with both the top-performing (202,512 interactions) and second-best (171,954 interactions) posts relating to a competition to win a PlayStation 5, and the third-best post featuring a competition to win an outdoor garden set.
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Spend By Platform
Emplifi’s data also explores the post types that account for the most spend by supermarket and hypermarket operators, with Facebook feed posts accounting for around 45% of the total, followed by Instagram feed and Instagram stories.
Spending on Facebook feeds is 26% higher than spending on Instagram feeds, Emplifi’s data shows.
Among retailers, the highest click-through rate (CTR) has been generated by Facebook feeds (1.86%), with Facebook video feeds accounting for a CTR of 0.93%.
Influencer Impact
Elsewhere, retailers continue to turn to influencers to gain traction with consumers, with Sainsbury’s earning the most mentions in the second quarter of the year – a total of 125 mentions from 99 influencers.
Other retailers with successful influencer partnerships include Waitrose (135 mentions from 95 influencers in the second quarter), Germany’s REWE Group (86 mentions from 35 influencers), Lidl Deutschland (61 mentions from 26 influencers) and Carrefour France (35 mentions from 25 influencers).
Emplifi’s social media data also explores the level of ‘cooperation efficiency’ when it comes to influencer marketing – in other words, the ratio of average interactions on an influencer’s post mentioning a brand, compared to a post published by the brand itself.
In the second quarter, Auchan Polska achieved the best cooperation efficiency, of 115.85x, ahead of Billa Česká republika (70.38x), Carrefour Polska (66.21x) and Kaufland Česká republika (55.51x).
