22 PUBLIC GAMING INTERNATIONAL • JULY/AUGUST 2024 For almost the whole history of the Lottery in the US, retail has been the place “where the rubber meets the road”, the face of lottery to the consumer where all the behind-thescenes planning, marketing strategies, and product development culminate with ticket sales to customers. Recent years have seen the supremacy of stores challenged by new online options. The rapid growth of eCommerce is undeniable. But retail is evolving and will continue to be the dominant channel and consumer touchpoint for Brand Lottery. Retail has been innovating to meet the needs of the modern consumer, and is challenging lotteries to do the same and make the most of this win-win relationship in the future. Introducing this panel discussion on retail optimization, moderator Eric Grubbs, Deputy Executive Director, Sales, of the Pennsylvania Lottery, posed the question, “How are retail processes, operations, and expectations changing, and how will Team Lottery need to evolve its methods to keep up?” Welcoming the opportunity to get “unvarnished guidance” straight from senior executives who manage the lottery category for two major multistate retailers, Eric introduced the panelists: Jarrod Cummins is the Director Commercial Business Lines and Digital Solutions for Kroger Personal Finance. The Kroger Company operates 2,723 Supermarket Stores across thirty-five states and the District of Columbia. Nick Murtagh is the Category Analyst Lottery for Sheetz across three of the six states in which it operates convenience stores (Maryland, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania). Eric began by inviting the panelists to comment on Lottery’s role in the retail business model and what Team Lottery does well now. Jarrod highlighted how Lottery has become an increasingly important part of Kroger’s business in recent years. “Lottery is a trip driver, it draws in a wide range of customers who engage with it, which in turn supports our core business.” P A N E L D I S C U S S I O N This article is based on a panel discussion held at the PGRI Smart-Tech Conference on March 13 in Fort Lauderdale, FL. You can view the video on PGRItalks.com. Insights from Retail Executives on how Brand Lottery can optimize long-term success at Retail L to R: Eric Grubbs, Jarrod Cummins, Nick Murtagh “If you’re looking to develop unique omnichannel marketing strategies for your customers, I recommend trying to leverage the expertise of some of your key retailers.” Continued on page 46
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