From Mailbox to Mobile: How Walmart Canada’s Digest Strategy is Driving Record Engagement

For decades, the flyer was a static, printed utility. Today, the most successful retailers are evolving it into a dynamic, mobile-first digital digest. It’s about reimagining the experience for the device where shoppers spend their time. When done right, the business results are undeniable.

The Shift: Designing for the Scroll, Not the Page Flip

With Canadian grocery prices rising, the "weekly hunt" for deals has become a critical ritual. The data confirms that digital is now the primary tool for this planning:

• 63% of Canadian shoppers use digital flyers to plan their shop.
• 54% of household shoppers read "only or mostly digital" flyers.

But it’s not just about "going digital." It’s about experience. Salesforce’s recent “State of the AI Connected Customer” study found that 84% of consumers say the experience a company provides is as important as its products or services. To engage and convert customers, your digital flyer needs to deliver quality content that surprises and delights.

Spotlight: Walmart Canada

As a long-standing content partner for Walmart Canada, we’ve worked with them to evolve their seasonal digest program into a native mobile experience.

By shifting the design strategy to prioritize the mobile user, the results have been significant:

• Engagement is Up: Recent reporting indicates a 50-60% increase in consumer engagement, directly attributed to the commitment to a mobile-first strategy.
• Drop-Off is Down: In the past, digital readers often dropped off around page 12. With the new mobile-optimized creative, consumers are now engaging with the entire digest from start to finish.
• Business Impact: Walmart reported excellent Q1 and Q2 results, attributing strong sales periods specifically to the success of this digest program. They also reported a 220% increase in Trailing Twelve Months (TTM) figures in Q2.

“The shift to a mobile-first strategy has been transformative, driving a big increase in engagement, says Chayla Kirkland, Digest Lead, Walmart Canada. “We commend SJC for their dedication to this process and for helping us produce a superior product that keeps our customers scrolling from start to finish." 

The Nuance: Why Print Still has a Role

If mobile drives the daily numbers, why do retailers still print?

Because for specific, standout moments, tactile experiences still matter. The Retail Council of Canada recently called the printed flyer "one of the most powerful marketing tools in Canada's retail sector.”

We see this clearly with Walmart’s Holiday Toy Book. While their weekly digests live on mobile, the Toy Book is printed because it serves a different user: children. SJC manages the content, design and pre-media work, while Walmart manages the physical printing and distribution. The tactile experience of flipping through pages, circling toys and building a wish list is a ritual that a screen cannot replicate.

This aligns with the "catalogue renaissance" we’ve been tracking—a return to print for high-impact brand storytelling. It works because it is supported by enduring evidence of print's unique power:

• Trust: Reader trust in Canadian print-media outlets has increased year-over-year, according to the 2025 Pollara Trust in Media Study, reinforcing print’s role as one of the country’s most credible media environments.
• Memory: Decades of neuroscience research, including a landmark neuromarketing study by Canada Post show that printed materials generate deeper memory encoding and require less cognitive effort than digital media.

How We Help Retailers Build Impactful Digest Programs

Delivering high-volume quality content year-round requires a partner who can execute across every channel without sacrificing quality or speed. 

• High-Volume Photography: Our studios capture thousands of assets, shooting "off-season" to ensure every product looks its best, whether it's for a summer fashion digest or a holiday toy guide.
• AI-Powered Automation and Scale: Through our AI Worx offerings, we leverage technology to drive scale and personalization. This allows retailers to efficiently version content for every channel and region without exponential costs.
• Mobile-First Design: We don't just resize print pages; we design specifically for the vertical screen to keep engagement high and drop-off low.
• Print Expertise: With decades of retail experience, we design for the print mediumfrom layout and colour accuracy to press-ready pre-media. And for clients who need full end-to-end execution, SJC also operates one of Canada’s largest commercial printing and distribution networks.

The flyer has evolved. A successful strategy meets the customer exactly where they are, whether that's scrolling on a phone or circling a wishlist at the kitchen table.

Contact us to learn more about how we execute retail flyer and digest strategies.

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