Whether we want to or not, we have no choice, we have to go. We do the same each time, we walk in, collect our carrier of choice and stroll around the aisles struggling to remember what we set out to buy. We walk further and further in until we remember what we wanted was two aisles back in the opposite direction. Then we buy some stuff we don’t need and go home. Rinse and repeat for life.

It’s well known that supermarkets are set up in certain ways to try get shoppers to stay and buy more products more often. Bread is usually at the front because of the baking smell while vegetables are there too as their different colours are easy on the eye. But what about advertising and specifically social media, how does that affect where shoppers go and what they buy?

Taking a look at a leading supermarket outlet in Australia and looking at both their Instagram and Twitter I have found the following things to be true.

1. Hardly anyone cares – With a market share of 80% between the two leading brands, you’d think there following would be quite sizable on these portals. Not so, with a pitiful 90,000 followers on Instagram, and 30,000 on Twitter, it seems nobody cares. This leads nicely into point 2
2. They don’t advertise what they have – Their Instagram account is full of pictures of meals or desserts. Recipes which are made from products sold there, but no pictures of deals, products or the stores themselves. Seems strange since the word supermarket is in the handle, not recipes. Twitter is much the same with constant adverts for their TV partnerships and about 50 repeated tweets about an instore issue. Either they have zero interest in developing their online presence or …. well no, that must be the answer.
3. No need to worry about competitors – It’s a trend across supermarkets social media accounts, just post recipes and photos of the finished product. Their competitors Twitter account is a little different and actually shows you what a store looks so you can be sure this is in fact the supermarket and not a chef’s account.

If you were thinking following a supermarket could get you some hidden deals or save you some money, you’d be wrong. But if you are looking for another account to post recipes you’ll never use, then these accounts are the ones for you #foodporn.