Foodservice Solutions Food Transparency equals Authenticity

 

Once again Foodservice Solutions® Grocerant Guru® Steven Johnson reminds regular viewers of this blog that ‘less is more’ in the minds-eye of the consumer and transparency in labeling, packaging, and menus equals authenticity in the minds-eye of the consumers and that builds loyalty.

In an previous study by the Food Marketing Institute titled: U.S. Grocery Shopper Trends found that “when it comes to how retail channels meet consumers’ need for transparency, natural and organic, online-only, club, fresh-focused, and midmarket traditional grocery stores make the top of the list. Conversely, retail channels trailing in transparency include: convenience, discount, supercenter, limited, dollar, drug and value-focused.”

FMI President and CEO Leslie G. Sarasin at the time stated “In the competitive food retail landscape and in an age in which information moves faster and faster, the consumer demand for clear and honest answers offer a zip-line to confidence in the complex food system,” “[Consumers] can handle the truth, and the information they do want to know, they want delivered in a clear, forthright, trustworthy and easy-to-find way that conveys some sense of vulnerability and openness. This is a crucial area because I think honest clarity is the currency of trust in the digital age.”

According to Trends, while less traditional retailers enjoy more grocery traffic and shopper loyalty, 8 percent of shoppers still claim to have “no primary store.” Limited assortment (25 percent), natural (17 percent), convenience (11 percent), ethnic (11 percent) and online-only (11 percent) food stores are increasingly frequented by shoppers; however, 45 percent of consumers who do have a primary store view it as an ally in their wellness pursuits.

Is direct to consumer the next big wave of disruption targeting traditional grocery stores? FMI data also suggests that millennials have become more comfortable with using online shopping for their grocery needs, although they still order only a limited amount of food products online.  Without doubt this is a trend picking up in urban centers and spreading across the country. From time to time you need to step back take a look in order to see just where you are today and where you may want to go.

Invite Foodservice Solutions® to complete a Grocerant Program Assessment, Grocerant ScoreCard, or for product positioning or placement assistance, or call our Grocerant Guru®.  Since 1991 www.FoodserviceSolutions.us  of Tacoma, WA has been the global leader in the Grocerant niche. Contact: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us or 253-759-7869