Wing War Kroger and KFC battle for wing sales prior too Super Bowl Sunday.

7 Eleven Wings

NPD data found for the year ending November, 2011, the top five restaurant categories to order chicken wings throughout the year (accounting for over 90 percent of all wing orders) are:

1  Casual Dining Restaurants: 33 percent of all chicken wing orders
2.       Pizza places: 26 percent
3.       Chicken places: 16 percent
4.       Mid-priced full service restaurants: 9 percent
5.       Food stores: 8 percent

This year however Kroger is out to change that specifically in the northwest via their Fred Meyer stores.  While KFC is utilizing price as focus point in their advertising campaign with hot wings priced at only $0.50 each.  Kroger aka Fred Meyer is selling boneless wings for $0.25 each. With more than 1.25 billion wing portions being consumed during Super Bowl weekend in 2012, totaling more than 100 million pounds of wings, according to the National Chicken Council's.  Who will win? This year it looks as if Fred Meyer will pick up sales of Wings and share of stomach. 

Product Positioning and Marketing are key to success in any sales battle.  This battle for share of stomach is no different and wing sales specifically.  KFC is utilizing price and price alone as the driver.  While Fred Meyer is focusing on bundling other meal components with the wings, they are also focusing on boneless wings. Marketing programs need both strategy and tactics price alone is a tactic. Successful grocerant niche marketing incorporate Foodservice Solutions® 5 P’s of food marketing: Product, Packaging, Placement, Portability and Price,  When the 5P’s are integrated into a marketing plan they edify the brand, the product and the offering.  

It’s easy to Harkin back the Colonel hocking his product, 11 secret ingredients, unique flavors, value pricing, and convenience of not cooking, then packaged to-go.  Kind ‘a reminds you of the 5P’s of food marketing.  Fred Meyer did not forget. Integrating critical messaging into a promotion is food marketing 101. While price play’s an increasing pivotal roll today, it alone will not garner the results of an integrated plan. Retail food success within the grocerant niche requires mix and match meal component bundling as regular followers of the blog well understand.  

Outside eyes can deliver top line sales and bottom line profits.  Invite Foodservice Solutions® to complete a grocerant program assessment, brand, product placement or positioning assistance.  Since 1991 Foodservice Solutions® of Tacoma, WA has been the global leader in the Grocerant niche visit Facebook.com/Steven Johnson, Linkedin.com/in/grocerant or twitter.com/grocerant.