Following the evolving retail
food customers is what all successful food retailers do. Today the battle for
share of stomach has never been so competitive nor has there been so many
retailers chasing the same customers.
Rutter’s, Wawa, H.E.B., Central Market, Wegmans, Whole Foods all are
positioning for casual, fast casual consumers.
Foodservice Solutions Grocerant
Guru, Steven Johnson has highlighted the value of bundling fresh prepared meal
components as a platform for consumer choice that is both inviting and
empowering for consumers. Most importantly mix and match fresh prepared meal components
are key drives to the rapid growth of the grocerant niche. The equilibrium resides in the balance
between price and quality.
The NPD Group found when looking at restaurant consumer
trends in a recent study
Defining
Value: Where Consumers Choose to Eat Out,”
identified five segments among restaurant consumers, the largest of which are
not driven by lowest pricing and deals. Two of the largest consumer segments,
foodies, and restaurant regulars, which together represent 58 percent of the
market, care less about price and deals and more about the quality and
freshness of their meal. Fresh ingredients and freshly prepared food are also
strong motivators among fast casual visitors.” These are the same value drivers
for C-store and grocery-deli prepared food that are driving change in the fresh
food retail landscape.
Food consumers today
want food retailers to offer fresh prepared food in a platform for convenient meal
participation, differentiation and individualization for families and or singles. The convergence and focus of the consumer is
key. Foodservice Solutions research
found that the channel the consumer shops in is irrelevant; fresh prepared,
meal component options portioned for 1 or 5 is more important. Channel blurring does not exist in the mind’s
eye of the consumer. It only exist in
the mind’s eye of Neanderthal brand marketers.
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