Time Starved Consumers want Grocerant niche Fresh Prepared Food

Success does leave clues and Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions® continues to find that research firm after research firm continues to follow his lead edifying how, why, and when consumers migrate from legacy channels of fresh food distribution into or add grocerant food to their line-up customer follow.

Most recently Beth Brickel, senior research director on the Insights and Innovation Team at EnsembleIQ edified Johnson’s findings with a new study that found “while 42 percent of shoppers prioritize "quick and easy" when the goal is to satisfy hunger, other factors have more influence than simply convenience; 31 percent prioritize quality and 25 percent prioritize selection and variety.

While Foodservice Solutions® recent Grocerant Scorecards continue to find the top two reasons to purchase grocerant niche prepared meals are 76.2% of consumers are time starved, 69.3 % lack the cooking skill-set to prepared flavor profiled meal.

Here are some of Brickel’s study's other key takeaways that you might find interesting they include:

Increasing satisfaction with heavy c-store shoppers must remain a focus. And while beverages and snacks should not be ignored, meal occasions are most at risk for the c-store shopper.

A majority of all shoppers consider themselves health-conscious. But what does that really mean? The No. 1 indicator of "healthy" in their eyes is freshness.

Think household. Nearly half of shoppers' purchase decisions (49 percent) are influenced by a partner, while 41 percent are influenced by children.

Influence on where to purchase is led by word-of-mouth. Digital resources are not far behind, particularly for millennials.

Most frictionless services, although underrepresented across convenience, perform better elsewhere than at grocery or fast food. Frictionless services can include mobile ordering, delivery services and more.

Concerns about food freshness and quality are the top reasons preventing grocery and fast-food shoppers from purchasing at c-stores. Their perceptions of freshness are affected by store and merchandising cues that go beyond the actual food, such as store cleanliness and an uncluttered interior.

Both grocery and fast-food shoppers would be motivated by a selection that offers more better-for-you options. Increasing this type of offering could prompt higher purchase frequency.

Better variety is the most requested change by c-store shoppers. Nearly two-thirds of study participants (32 percent) listed selection/variety as their response to an open-ended question on what they'd like to change about c-stores. 

Looking for success clues of your own? Foodservice Solutions® specializes in outsourced food marketing and business development ideations. We can help you identify, quantify and qualify additional food retail segment opportunities, technology, or a new menu product segment.  Foodservice Solutions® of Tacoma WA is the global leader in the Grocerant niche visit Facebook.com/Steven Johnson, www.Linkedin.com/in/grocerant/  or www.twitter.com/grocerant