Grocerant Growth continues to fuel Foodservice Customer Migration

Regular readers of this blog remember that restaurant sector customer migration that continues today began in 2005. That was the first year in 35 that spending on food for home increased over food away from home. 

Non-traditional retailers have exploited consumers desire for fresh prepared food expanding grocerant niche food offerings while leveraging the FIVE P’s of Food Marketing garnering share of stomach from the restaurant sector; according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®. 

While legacy industry consulting companies and research firm simply missed this shift in consumer focus, the team at Foodservice Solutions® did not.  These same firms to save face and protect turf want you to believe there is a universal consumer convergence within the “fast casual” sector.  Guess what?. 

Nothing could be further from the truth. If you are a food retailer and think that you only compete with restaurants, get over it.  There is a race for share of stomach in retail specifically within fresh prepared Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat sector by well-financed competitors. They want your customers.  The fresh prepared food sector is booming according to Nielsen’s Volume 3 of the Total Consumer Report fresh prepared food sales were up 108% last year alone. The retail food world knows it and restaurateurs you should too.

Its 4 PM: your customers are just beginning to think about what's for dinner a June 2018 FMI report found that. 65% of American consumers are unsure about what's for dinner. Time Starved Consumers are looking for high quality Ready-2-Eat foods and or Heat-N-Eat meals. Today's time starved consumer want to purchase meal components that they can bundle into a customized family meal that will please everyone without spending time cooking.  The one universal commonality driving customer trial and migration is fresh prepared Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat food aka Grocerant niche food.

If you’re company is spending money on outdated legacy focus information based on yesterday’s metrics you will continue to lose share of stomach and share of wallet to those focused on the consumer. Fast Casual, Casual and QSR restaurant chains have all lost share to new non-traditional retailers. Don’t be fooled trying migrate into a place defined by groups that simply missed the fork in the road the consumers took.

New non-traditional points of distribution and retail food competition are opening daily and it important to be mindful of the migrating consumer. Do you know how to build sales with a grocerant focus?  We do.

Are you looking for a new partnership to drive sales? Are you ready for some fresh ideations? Do your food marketing tactics look more like yesterday that tomorrow?  Visit www.FoodserviceSolutions.us for more information or contact: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us Remember success does leave clues and we just may have the clue you need to propel your continued success.