Grocerant Niche Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat is Popular

 

Grocerant niche Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat fresh prepared food continues to garner customer migration in every sector of retail food sales according to Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®. 

Restaurants, convenience stores, grocery stores, deli’s and bodega’s all continue to elevate their grocerant niche Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat fresh food offerings, messaging, and marketing garnering the attention of time starve consumers looking for full flavored fresh fast meal and meal component options for dinner. Today more and more American consumers are looking for both convenience and variety in their on-the-go meal options, according to new research by NCSolutions.

 

Time starved American consumers despite all of the changes in the years since the start of the pandemic, the majority of consumers will still eat meals or snacks on the go at least sometimes.

Those findings came from a new consumer sentiment research survey commissioned by NCSolutions, a company focused on advertising effectiveness for consumer-packaged goods brands. 

So, of those surveyed, many quoted a hectic schedule as a key reason to rely on convenience foods for meals while traveling or commuting. Overall, 75 percent of respondents still eat meals or snacks on the go either "sometimes" or "always."

This is important if you are trying to build daypart sales, even with changes to commuting schedules and remote work becoming more common, the most popular times for grab-and-go foods remain the morning and midday. Lunch (52 percent) and breakfast (50 percent) are the most popular grab-and-go convenience item meals, followed by snacks (41 percent) and dinner (36 percent).

Yes, the report also found that customers often crave variety in their options, opening a possible channel of opportunity for c-stores and other retailers to tap into underserved markets. Just under half (48 percent) of Americans are only somewhat satisfied with the variety of flavors and options for convenience foods available, while almost one in three (31 percent) say they aren't satisfied with the options for diet-specific choices offered in the grocery store, such as keto or gluten-free. 

Consumer dining habits continue to react and remain in flux due to the effects of the COVID-19 lockdown even three years on. Recent research by US Foods found American adults still prefer to eat at home and will more often choose takeout or delivery options over eating out. In the meantime, customer satisfaction with convenience foodservice has risen overall by seven percent year over year even as those who consider themselves "very satisfied" with c-stores' prepared foods fell by 11 percent.

Foodservice Solutions® specializes in outsourced business development. We can help you identify, quantify and qualify additional food retail segment opportunities or a new menu product segment and brand and menu integration strategy.  Foodservice Solutions® of Tacoma WA is the global leader in the Grocerant niche visit us on our social media sites by clicking one of the following links: Facebook,  LinkedIn, or Twitter

Wingstop Customer Focused Not Bandwagon Marketing

 

The trend is your friend.  Consumers are dynamic not static and restaurant chains can not get stuck in the past with positioning that looks more like yesterday and tomorrow. According to Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®, McDonald’s introduced ‘meal deals’ at tis drive-thru to speed-up drive-thru service. Simultaneously they increased the average check, drove top line sales and bottom-line profits. 

Consumers continue to be time starved, and looking for meal and meal component solutions and meal deals help with both according to Johnson.

So, that said, Wingstop launched the Cajun Meal Deal – a new menu innovation that packs everything fans crave into one easy-to-indulge box, smothered in extra flavor. Only available at Wingstop, the meal comes in fans’ choice of a cooked-to-order chicken sandwich, classic wings, boneless wings or crispy tenders with craveable loaded fries, drizzled with Wingstop’s signature ranch, melty cheese and bold Cajun seasoning.

Available in U.S. restaurants for a limited time, this meal – complete with a cold beverage – is packed with flavor at a compelling value, starting at just $8.99.

Wingstop’s Chief Growth Officer, Anne Fischer, stated, “Wingstop’s Cajun Meal Deal combines everything you crave,” …. “Our latest menu innovation delivers that cooked-to-order, indulgent Wingstop occasion that fans hunger for, all at a great value.” Now then, the Cajun Meal Deal can be ordered on Wingstop.com or the Wingstop ap

Don’t over reach. Are you ready for some fresh ideations? Do your food marketing ideations look more like yesterday than tomorrow? Interested in learning how Foodservice Solutions® can edify your retail food brand while creating a platform for consumer convenient meal participation, differentiation and individualization?  Email us at: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us or visit us on our social media sites by clicking the following links: Facebook,  LinkedIn, or Twitter

Walmart Customers Focus on Meal Solutions not Menu’s

Consumers are dynamic not static and Walmart is not an early adopter when it comes to meals and meal components. Walmart exceled at supply chain optimization, suburban duplication, marketing messaging, it missed the mark on consumers meal prep simplification aka meals and meal components preference over ingredients to cook from scratch. 

According to Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions® time starved consumers are migrating to grocerant niche Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat fresh prepared meals from every retail channel not just grocery stores when it comes to What’s for Dinner.

Let’s Look at some recent numbers:

 

1. Recent Grocerant ScoreCards found 82.3% of consumers don’t know what’s for dinner at Noon, and 61.8 %don’t know what’ s for dinner at 4PM.
2. Roughly 63.7% of consumers purchase prepared food items from a retail location at least three times a month.
3. 79.6% all dinners have at least 1 grocerant niche Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat meal component and 66.6% have two meal components per day.
4. When asked if they wanted to cook dinner from scratch or assemble dinner from fresh meal components 91.3 % of Gen Z chose assemble from Fresh Prepared Meal Components and Millennials 83.4% chose meal components.
5. Seventy-three percent of retail prepared food purchases are taken to go
6. 88.2 % of consumers prefer hand held food over sit down meals with a knife and fork

 

So, last week Walmart in a press release stated that its hot rotisserie chicken is now available for same-day delivery. Previously, shoppers could only order cold chicken for delivery.

Walmart was quoted saying, “We’ve optimized our operations to add more delivery slots and availability, which allows Walmart to deliver our hot rotisserie chicken the same day for its customers,”

In case you did not know, Walmart, the country’s largest food retailer, said it sells 103 rotisserie chickens every minute, with shoppers in the Southern U.S. buying the most birds.

A hot rotisserie chicken from a Chicago Walmart was selling for $6.97 last Wednesday. Delivery is free for Walmart+ participants, who pay a membership fee of $98 a year, on orders of at least $35. Non-members pay $7.95 per order.

Walmart also last week launched a new digital recipe hub where shoppers can select a recipe and add all the ingredients to their online cart. Paprika Chicken & Rice Bake, for example, has 10 ingredients (including salt and pepper) and costs $21.35 to prepare for five servings, according to the recipe site.

Regular readers of this blog know that Walmart is stuck in the middle of the grocery channel after the success of companies the ilk of Aldi, WinCo, and Lidl have found success with competitive pricing and fresh food discovery.

Walmart has lowered prices on popular items, through October 15, along with offering meal solutions and curated shopping lists to “feed the whole family for less than $6.”

Recipes include Salsa Poached Eggs and Grilled Avocado Salad, both for under $6, and dishes such as Gardein Chick’n Wraps (less than $12) or Pork & Mango Salad (less than $16).

Walmart is the world’s largest retailer, with more than 10,500 stores and 2.1 million employees in 19 countries. The question readers of this blog will be asking who will win in the middle Walmart or Kroger/Albertsons? Or could it be that Aldi and Lidl will outlast even Walmart.

Invite Foodservice Solutions® to complete a Grocerant ScoreCard, or for product positioning or placement assistance, or call our Grocerant Guru®.  Since 1991 Foodservice Solutions® of Tacoma, WA. 

Labor Day Menus Will Your Food Be on Customers Tables

 

Will your menu items take center stage on your customers Labor Day table? The simple question you should have been asking yourself two months ago is what can I sell to consumers that they will want on their Labor Day table no matter where they will be eating it? 

According to Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions® meals and meal components that can be mixed and matched into a perfect customized family gathering meal either for indoor dinning or outside dinning will take center stage if retailers market, message, and manage communication that empowers customer choice while simplifying meal and menu prep time.   

Once again, this year Numerator continues to track purchase data and survey verified buyers to understand shifts in consumer behavior. Its 2023 Labor Day Intentions Preview identifies consumers’ celebration, shopping, and spending plans for the holiday. Here’s what was learned: 

1.       60% of consumers plan to celebrate this year, down from 75% in 2022 

2.       55% of celebrants plan to purchase alcohol for the holiday with the top options being beer (74%), hard seltzers (34%) and wine (33%)

3.       61% of celebrants plan to grill for Labor Day 2023 (the same as 2022), but other celebrations are shifting away from attending or hosting a gathering/party (41% in 2023 vs. 53% in 2022) to plans such as cooking/baking (26% vs. 20%), recreational activities (21% vs 12%), traveling (19% vs. 13%), and watching fireworks (16% vs 10%)

4.       89% of Labor Day celebrants intend to buy food, including hamburgers (83%), hot dogs (67%), chicken (60%), and steak (41%)

5.       42% of consumers expect rising prices to impact their Labor Day plans, and 86% of consumers anticipate taking money-saving measures for the holiday, including buying items on sale (54%), preparing more budget-friendly meals (35%), using more coupons (32%), switching to store brands (23%), and visiting dollar or discount stores (20%)

Planning Matters

Do you want to Grow

Share of Stomach?

6.       Summer 2023 saw beer grow sales by 11.7% and share by 1.6 points compared to summer 2022. Beer brands that grew summer share include Miller (+2.1 points), Coors (+2.1 points) and Modelo (+1.2 points). Bud Light declined by 3.2 points

7.       Ready-to-drink alcoholic beverages, which includes hard cider, hard seltzers, ready-to-drink cocktails, and flavored malt beverages, saw sales increase by 1.6% this summer compared to 2022. Nutrl (+195.3%), Beatbox Beverages (+129.5%) and Absolut (+82%) saw the largest growth in pure sales, while brands such as High Noon (+4 points), Twisted Tea (+2.1 points) and White Claw (+1.1 points) gained the most share within the category

Mix and Match meal component bunding is a hallmark of grocerant niche success and continued growth.  Are you looking a customer ahead?  What resources are you utilizing to drive top line sales and bottom line profits in November?

Are you ready for some fresh ideations? Do your food marketing ideas look more like yesterday than tomorrow? Interested in learning how our Grocerant Guru® can edify your retail food brand while creating a platform for consumer convenient meal participation, differentiation, and individualization?  Email us at: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us or visit: us on our social media sites by clicking one of the following links: Facebook,  LinkedIn, or Twitter

The Honey Baked Ham Finds Relevance in Tailgating

 

Expanding relevance to your existing customer base is key too edifying a long-lasting loyal relationship and The Honey Baked Ham Company has found new relevance in tailgating according to Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.

If you listen to your customers, you can drive both top-line sales and bottom-line profits. The Honey Baked Ham Company heard from customer across America that they’re tired of chips and dip and chicken wings at their tailgate spreads, and want to shake things up this season. Close to 85 percent of sports fans want to see ham at their upcoming tailgates and watch parties. To answer fan demand, HoneyBaked has launched easy, distinctive, delicious Tailgate Packs featuring Honey Baked Ham’s traditional bone-in ham, sliders and sandwiches that come pre-packed and ready to feed your gameday crowd. 

Tripp McLaughlin, CMO, The Honey Baked Ham Company, stated, “The Honey Baked Ham Company has been a part of family traditions for generations, gathering people to celebrate with unique, delicious food,” ... “It’s a natural fit that the company associated with tradition and connection plays a role in gathering fans during football season.”

Fans will tailgate like never before with HoneyBaked's four new Tailgate Packs, featuring fan-favorite menu offerings designed for effortless, high-quality meals to fit any party size. These sharable, no-mess, handheld choices are easy to order ahead and pick up for your tailgating or homegating celebrations.

McLaughlin continued, "Our research into sports fans' preferences revealed that convenience, quality and taste are paramount for our target audience,”. “Tailgating enthusiasts particularly prioritize taste (68 percent), ease of preparation (57 percent) and quality (47  percent) – precisely what HoneyBaked offers its fans. In response to these demands, we have developed Tailgate Packs."

The Tailgate Packs lineup includes:

·         Half Ham Playmaker Pack: A make-your-own ham sliders kit. Includes an 8 pound Bone-In Half Ham, four containers of deli sides including Potato Salad or Broccoli Bacon Bliss and two 12-packs of King's Hawaiian Rolls.

·         Pick 2 Slider Pack: Includes two 12-packs of Take & Bake Sliders and eight bags of chips, offering options like Ham & Swiss Sliders, Garlic Herb Turkey & Cheddar Sliders and new Turkey Bacon Ranch Sliders (limited-time only).

·         Big Game Sandwich Pack: Choose from an assortment of HoneyBaked's most popular sandwiches, made with their signature meats, cut in halves, and presented on a buffet tray. Includes one bag of chips per person. Choose from: Ham Classic, Smoked Turkey Classic, Turkey Bacon Ranch, Tavern Club, BBQ Smoked Stacker, Ham Salad, Chicken Salad, The HoneyBaked and Roasted Tomato and Cheddar.

·         Sandwich Playmaker Pack: Everything you need to make your own sandwiches, featuring a choice of Honey Baked Ham, Smoked Turkey Breast, or Roasted Turkey Breast, assorted sliced cheeses, lettuce, tomatoes, condiments and fresh bread. Served with your choice of two deli sides (Potato Salad or Broccoli Bacon Bliss) and one cookie per person.

 

With the Tailgate Packs, HoneyBaked is making it easier for gameday hosts to have more convenient options to serve premium, delicious meals to family and friends whether they are tailgating at the game or watching at home.

In case you would like to know how, HoneyBaked is supporting this product launch with its largest marketing campaign in company history outside of the holidays – “Gameday is a HoneyBaked Day.” This program includes TV advertising on both the SEC and ACC networks, digital video, social advertising, in-store POP, on-site activations at college football games throughout the fall, public relations and spokesperson collaborations with ESPN hosts Laura Rutledge and Katie George.

"When it comes to tailgate spreads, sports fans are always searching for convenience, exceptional taste, and top quality and HoneyBaked delivers precisely that with its Tailgate Packs,” adds ESPN Host Laura Rutledge. “The Tailgate Packs will surprise and delight tailgate-goers and pregame party guests at every game this football season.”

Tailgate Packs are available at your nearest HoneyBaked location or visit honeybaked.com/tailgate to buy online and pick up in store before your next pregame gathering.

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 than tomorrow?  Visit GrocerantGuru.com 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.

Restaurants Meet and Greet is Back

 

Man is a social being. The pandemic is over and consumers want out and want to see what others are wearing, doing, and where they are going.  Is your establishment inviting? Can consumers meet others, see others, and discover a new meal, new flavor, new service style, or simply meet someone new? According to Steve Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions® it des not matter if you’re running a grocery store service deli, convenience store, or restaurant consumers are looking for more than just food. 

 Over the last few years, young adult consumers have developed a reputation for their interest in exploring new foods and setting trends, while also seeking out both convenient and connival dining experiences. Yes, consumers want to discover what is different, new or visual food displays and beautiful differentiation from the recent past.

The newest findings on young adult preferences once again comes from a Y-Pulse nationwide study of millennial and Generation Z consumers which delved into the cohorts' dining perspectives and experiences. 

Sharon Olson, executive director of Y-Pulse, stated, "This study found more than half of the millennial and Gen Z consumers surveyed agreed that convenience was more important than cuisine, and that was surprising and a bit unsettling," …. "Yet as we took a closer look at the … dining options available in fast casual restaurants and on college and university campuses around the country, we soon realized that there is little need for young adult consumers to have to make that choice."

The report found that overall, 71 percent of millennial and Gen Z respondents said they prefer meals they can consume on the go. Yet, that does not necessarily mean they are consuming those meals alone. Ninety-one percent enjoyed sharing meals with other people rather than dining alone, while 87 percent reported that they enjoy taking thier to-go meal somewhere else to relax and enjoy with others. Additionally, 72 percent reported that sharing a meal with a friend or family member in the car suits their hectic lifestyle

Beyond the car grab-and-go, 77 percent of survey participants said they like convenience stores that have café seating, while 88 percent liked food markets because of the ease of sharing a meal with others when not everyone in the party wants the same type of food. For c-store operators, the research suggests simply offering customers the option of seating to enjoying meals will be attractive to this particular demographic.

The new report also found a dramatic shift in the same age cohort surveyed in a 2017 Y-Pulse study that asked the same question about convenience. Six years ago, only 44 percent of those surveyed reported convenience as more important than cuisine in their dining decisions, compared to 59 percent in the latest study. 

Y-Pulse conducted the survey with 2,101 consumers representative of the U.S. population nationwide. Millennials included those born between 1981 and 1996, while the Gen Z group included those 18 years or older from the total cohort born between 1997 and 2012.

Foodservice Solutions® specializes in outsourced business development. We can help you identify, quantify and qualify additional food retail segment opportunities or a new menu product segment and brand and menu integration strategy.  Foodservice Solutions® of Tacoma WA is the global leader in the Grocerant niche visit us on our social media sites by clicking one of the following links: Facebook,  LinkedIn, or Twitter