Albertsons Looking a Grocerant Customer Ahead

 It looks as if the grocery foodservice sector is about to have a great year according to Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions® who stated, “maybe this time grocery stores will capitalize on the consumer trend that has changed the face of food retail the grocerant niche. Albertsons is showing signs that it now understands the undercurrent driving consumers to find the age-old question; What’s for Dinner.

Leveraging customer data, Albertsons is now offering ‘digital’ loyalty members integrated menu-based shopping list creation, auto-replenish. So, in case you forgot, it was this time last year, Albertsons Cos. President and CEO Vivek Sankaran said they were going into “the meals business.” With the recent launch of two new digital offerings—Meal Planning and Schedule & Save—the company takes another step forward on its meals business plan.

Now according to Johnson, when you add that rollout to the news the U.S. House of Representatives recently introduced a bill to allow the SNAP consumers to buy prepared meals (with the backing of the NGA) the stage is set for a Battle for Share of Stomach between restaurants and grocery stores service deli’s like we have never before seen.

At Albertsons / Safeway the new capabilities will offer loyalty members integrated menu planning and shopping list creation and the ability to auto-replenish essential items on their lists. These new features are part of “Albertsons Cos.’ ongoing goal to revolutionize its digital offerings and enhance all aspects of the food experience to save customers time and money,”.

Chris Rupp, Albertsons Cos. EVP and chief customer and digital officer, stated, “Our customers continue to look for new ways to save time and money when planning meals and shopping at their neighborhood Albertsons Cos. banner store,” … “These two new features are important ways we’re helping customers reduce the effort associated with grocery shopping so they can spend the time enjoying meals with family and friends.”

Let’s see how this Meal Planning Program works:

The company’s new Meal Plans feature integrates the Mealime meal planning app to help customers answer the “what’s for dinner?” question. The Meal Plans feature provides an easy, convenient and personalized way to plan meals and cook recipes, the company adds. Members have access to thousands of shoppable recipes developed by professional chefs and dietitians that are curated and refined based on taste and dietary preferences.

The aim is to inspire Albertsons loyalty members to break out of food ruts and complete their weekly shopping in less than 10 minutes with the option for pickup and delivery or in-store shopping.

Battle for Share of Stomach

Schedule & Save

Albertsons Cos.’ Schedule & Save is a new online auto-replenishment offering that allows loyalty members to ensure their grocery and household essentials always remain in-stock. Developed with convenience-seekers in mind, the new offering automates the task of routine shopping. This allows customers to automatically replenish their more frequently purchased items across categories.

The products scheduled for purchase will be offered at “an attractive discounted price,” the company said, “reflecting significant savings off the average shelf price, available for pickup or delivery.”

Currently available to select Safeway customers in Northern California, Schedule & Save was developed in partnership with auto-replenishment and predictive shopping platform Replenium.

In 2022, Albertsons Cos. said it plans to expand the program nationwide and include a continuous expanding list of items for members to add for auto-replenishment. 2022 will be a great year for the sales of grocerant niche fresh prepared meals, meal components, and beverages to-go sales. The Battle for Share of Stomach is on!

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