Whole Foods Social Media Analysis

John Mackey and Renee Lawson Hardy, the co-founders of the current Whole Foods Market, simply wanted to provide quality healthy food to the American consumer. This was about three decades ago when the first store opened. According to Mackey, making money was not the first priory, but helping people to eat better was. Happily for Mackey and Lawson, the residents of Austin Texas were hungry, no pun intended, for just this type of product. At the time, though there were several small independent healthy food stores, there was not a full sized grocery store. This is what set Mackey and Lawson apart from their competitors, their enormous sized health food grocery store was a huge success and now Whole Foods Market (WFM) is not only a

One of the key roles of social media from a marketing perspective is the development of a client based platform. It is becoming an increasingly important part of any business’s marketing. Businesses can utilize existing online platforms to build networks of current and potential clients. By being active online allows businesses to connect with their customers in innovative ways to become a trusted source of information and convey the passion they have for their industry.

Besides being the first nationally organic certified grocer in America, Whole Foods has always been on a green mission. It was the first chief retailer to use wind energy to satisfy 100% of its energy requirement. Through the use of recycled materials and the usage reduction of the use of toxic gums and virgin materials, it strives for ecofriendly building techniques in construction of its stores. Some of its stores also evade the emission of 1,650 tons of CO2 by putting solar energy to use. Additionally, it supports farmers who exclude the use of toxic pesticides and

From observation and research, we determined the target market for each store. Overall, Whole Foods targets the wealthier segment of the population who focuses on healthy, fresh, and organic choices when grocery shopping. They satisfy the

Whole Foods Market Website Review Whole Foods Market is a growing company aimed to provide consumers with the highest quality natural and organic items available. In order for the company to reach out to wider potential markets, Whole Foods Markets has embarked on the latest technology marketing strategy. By doing so the company has launched a website through which shoppers can access products information, customer support and other relates services. The menus are clearly set and marked for ease access by the customers.

By October 6, 2013, Wegmans has 35,518 tweets and 61,083 followers. The number of followers has increased by 237 in the past three days since October 3, 2013. Of the 237 new followers, 38 of them are users without profile photos (just the original “egg” photos) and having few followers. In addition, 50 of the new followers have above 100 followers, and some of them are also influential users, like @XeroxCorp (57,023 followers), @mwachtel (19,751 followers), @phillygrub (9,386 followers), @anyadowning (5,490 followers), @FoodFotoGallery (4090 followers), @BostonianBows (2,743 followers), and @BelieveInSyr (2308 followers). These kind of followers would be helpful for Wegmans.

Between November 12 -19, Whole Foods had a total of 727 original social mentions; these mentions had the potential to reach 454,2277 social accounts. Because social media is so easily shared, these original messages were amplified to another 332,742 by retweets and social shares.

Whole Foods is a supermarket that has successfully become the leader in the organic food segment of the grocery industry. While traditional markets have low brand loyalty and recognition, Whole Foods has focused almost entirely on its brand image, causing their strategy to be one of differentiation over cost leadership. Whole Foods is known as being far more expensive than other chains, due to this brand recognition. In their press release for the Q4 2014 results, they describe their vision and sum up what helps them develop that brand recognition. “We hold the idea of “food” to a higher standard, banning more than 75 ingredients commonly found in other stores, and we believe our unparalleled quality standards

Additionally, it sought to offer the highest quality, least processed, most flavourful and naturally preserved food available. It has thus marketed them in appealing store environments that have made shopping at Whole Foods an interesting and enjoyable experience. The company uses strategies with respect to their growth, store location, product line, pricing, merchandising and even it’s social responsibility and community citizenship initiatives that have helped tremendously in its success.

Whole Foods Inc. operates in the grocery industry with its main focus on providing consumers with a healthier, more natural, and a more organic alternative to grocery shopping. Their products differentiate from other mainstream grocery providers because they are a higher quality of product. After previously partnering with Google express, Whole Foods has now invested in Instacart, a delivery service that would primarily deliver Whole Foods products nationwide to its consumers for at least the next five years. (Rey)

Whole Foods Market Inc. is not only an organic market enterprise recognized for their fresh products and antibiotic slogans. This organization thrives on everything they set to accomplish. Whole Foods is known for building their human and social capital by seeking individuals with a higher education, soft skills, and social networking to join their organization.

Depending on the location the store may even include certain stands like seafood, salad, wine, and even olive bars where you can pick up a healthy lunch, or just eat some olives. Whole Foods has a unique layout compared to competitors and a wide assortment of higher quality goods on its shelves. The company’s unique mission statement, high standards, positive goal, and overall impact on society makes it an attractive business model. Suppliers & Delivery Delivery systems are a growing widely across the food industry and Whole Foods will deliver high quality products to your door if you just don’t have the time.

Anthony also brought up the growing obsession with health for customers. Whole Foods targets the consumers who live a very healthy lifestyle and are concerned with eating all natural and organic foods, especially younger customers. Anthony explained people are generally more informed as to what foods are effective to their healthy lifestyle especially by social media. The consumers find information about the brand through different social media channels such as Twitter and Facebook. The consumers also get information about the brand’s products, recipes, health tips, and nutritional information through the Whole Foods website and blog. Also, Anthony mentioned that the idea of lifestyle is one of the key factors that influence the consumer buying behavior.

Whole Foods Market remains uniquely mission driven: The Company is highly selective about what they sell, dedicated to stringent quality standards, and committed to sustainable agriculture. The Company believes in a virtuous circle entwining the food chain. Not only pursuing ensure diversity and high level quality, also focus on national agricultural development.

Secondly, Whole Foods team members are dedicated to satisfy their customers by offering friendly attitude and high quality products. Store personnel are chatty and helpful with shoppers and knowledgeable enough to answer all product related questions. Company personnel always encourage customers to consume natural and organic food throughout the public relation campaign. (C-15). Whole Foods likes to do retail experiment and continuously innovate and raise retail standers. They customize their store design to best fit with particular product mix. In some super store, they make village style layout including mini restaurant, raw food