Now that Albertsons has become an omnichannel retailer, expectations are rapidly evolving, and the customers have control of the goalposts, said Albertsons Cos.’ SVP of digital shopping experiences, Jill Pavlovich. Albertsons sees its employees and company purpose as advantages. Bringing people together on the joys of food and inspiring well-being sets a different tone, she said, and it’s easier to snowball that tone into customer obsession. For example, the digital team has created daily rhythms and habits that start and end each day by reading customer sentiments and ratings, and understanding call center complaints. The information, used as a trend line, informs Albertsons’ product and technology roadmap to ensure the retailer is solving the most urgent customer pain points first. She described the digital roadmap as living and breathing and quite aggressive, noting it can change from sprint to sprint. At the top of the CX list is improving the digital fulfillment experience for customers, particularly the points between checkout and delivery, or checkout and pickup. The retailer is giving customers more control over their orders, including choosing substitutions that can be saved for future orders or directly communicating with store associates via chat while the orders are being picked. Within retail media — another key priority — the digital experience team views it as an intuitive discovery opportunity for new brands, which can be hard to replicate online and something it has struggled with, she said. Retail media can do this in a more intuitive and personalized manner. Its retail media arm unveiled an in-store display network — it’s inviting brands to participate even earlier. Pavlovich also sees future opportunities with in-store digital surfaces, including mobile apps and digital screens connecting to cart technologies.