Best Practices for Dairy Case Merchandising
It all begins at the farm. Quality dairy products come from happy, healthy animals and plant-based products whose milk has been safely processed to ensure a flavorful, fresh consumer experience. However, we can’t put all the responsibility on the farm or the processor. To keep shoppers coming back week after week for fresh, flavorful dairy products, follow these display case best practices. Temperature - From the moment a dairy product hits the grocery store dock, it is critical to keep the product cold. As soon as dairy products are removed from the walk-in cooler they should be put into a refrigerated [...]
Milk Flavor Profile Influenced by Retail Lighting and Packaging
If you’ve ever tasted fresh milk with its creamy, slightly sweet flavor, you know how delicious good milk can be. You probably also noted the brand and the grocery store from which it came. Likewise, you may have experienced milk that tasted off or gone bad — perhaps with hints of burnt, plastic or cardboard flavors. These off-flavor notes are caused by oxidation in the milk which is caused by light exposure. As part of its ongoing commitment to fresh marketing, Hillphoenix sponsored two studies, conducted by researchers at the Virginia Tech Food Science Department, Chemours Packaging, and the Dairy [...]
Lighting Affects Consumer Perception of Vacuum-Packaged Meats
In late 2016, Hillphoenix and Sealed Air co-sponsored a study that compared consumer assessments of its new proprietary Clearvoyant® LED lighting technology to existing “cool” and “warm” levels of fluorescent lighting. This research supports efforts to encourage the adoption of vacuum packaging for fresh proteins. As a percentage of packages in the refrigerated meat case, vacuum packaging grew from 10% in 2002 to 24% in 2015 as PVC packing decreased from 51% to 33%. For retailers, the benefits include extended shelf life, less handling within the store, less shrink, and more time for employees to help shoppers and keep cases [...]
Supermarket Food Service Operations Require a Customer-Focused Business Plan
Orlando Espinosa is the Founder, Orlando Espinosa + Associates LLC. Orlando Espinosa recently presented “Enhancing the Customer Experience Through Engaging Kitchen Design” at Supermarket Sense 2016 in Conyers, Ga. Supermarket food service operations offer tremendous potential for business owners, which is why a carefully considered plan is essential to success. This is not a case of “if you build it, they will come.” Developing a successful grocerant requires homework on specific customer trends and habits and a business plan for meeting those needs. Some successful supermarket owners have treated food service operations as an add-on or even a loss leader. [...]
Meal-centered “Occasions” Drive Prepared Food Sales
Getting customers to purchase your freshly prepared food instead of that of the restaurant down the street is the name of the game. Tailoring your food offerings to your customers’ needs is key to making that happen. Why are your customers eating what they do? What time of the day and days of the week are they coming in? Hint: They’re not just buying ready-to-eat lunches and family dinners anymore. A study from Datassential identified a few lesser known “occasions” for customers buying ready-to-eat or semi-prepared meals. Up-and-coming urban areas may be saturated with young couples and singles looking for [...]
Grocerants — Take a Page from “Digital Marketing 101 for Restaurants”
Is your grocerant showing up when people search for “food near me” or a speciality item such as pizza? When you’re hungry and sitting at a stoplight, does your smartphone search engine, TripAdvisor or Zagat app help you find your next meal? Restaurants have the competitive advantage of showing up in almost all search engines, on maps and review sites simply because they exist. In a study by the National Restaurant Association, 90 percent of millennials and 60 percent of baby boomers own or use a smartphone or tablet. A presence on Facebook, Instagram and online review sites can make [...]
Off-Grid Energy Soothes the Sting of Peak Demand Charges
Electricity consumption during certain times of day comes at a high price. To prevent brownouts during demand spikes, utility companies maintain a lot of very expensive equipment on standby and they pass that expense on to commercial (industrial) ratepayers in the form of demand charges — a portion of the electric bill, in addition to actual consumption, that customers pay to ensure utilities can supply “extra” energy, if and when needed. For commercial customers, demand charges account for about 30 percent of the electric bill. The demand charge is typically based on time of use – the time of day [...]
Use digital technology thoughtfully
Carre’ Bistline is the Director, Business Development Digital Solutions for Anthony International. Join Carre’ Bistline for “Engaging Digital Signage Opportunities for Food Retailers” at Supermarket Sense 2016, September 21-22, in Conyers, Ga. For consumers, digital technology can be a disruptive or engaging presence. To ensure such technology has the desired effect on grocery shoppers, it is imperative that grocers thoughtfully plan their messaging in terms of both content and placement. That means delivering messages that resonate quickly and function well with mobile devices. Understanding that mobile devices also have the ability to both connect and distract customers while shopping, retailers [...]
Saving the Center Store — 6 Strategies for Shopper Engagement
Join Harold Lloyd for “Saving the Center Store” at Supermarket Sense 2016, Sept. 21-22 in Conyers, Georgia. At the upcoming Supermarket Sense, happening just outside Atlanta on Sept. 21-22, I’ll explore ways to save the center store. Here’s a preview — six strategies for rebuffing online (and other) competition by revamping those long, boring aisles: Rethink lighting. Replace glaring, fluorescent bulbs with properly spaced LED lights that make packaging pop and guide shoppers down your “runway” of products. Cross-merchandise center store products throughout the store. For example, next to the apples in produce, add a sign: A tablespoon of peanut [...]
Saving the Center Store — Inertia Is the Enemy
Join Harold Lloyd for “Saving the Center Store” at Supermarket Sense 2016, Sept. 21-22 in Conyers, Georgia. The supermarket center store is stuck in a time warp, and that’s especially dangerous in today’s food retail environment. We’re going up against online shopping that’s fast and entertaining, and products in the center store are particularly vulnerable to online competition. Yet, those long, boring, rectangular aisles haven’t changed in decades. At Supermarket Sense, happening just outside Atlanta on Sept. 21-22, I’ll lead a session on “Saving the Center Store” — diving into the issues and opportunities. Here’s high-level view of the problem: [...]