Food Industry Struggling with Electric Vehicle Charging Stations

 

What is brand relevance when it comes to Electric Vehicles (EV’s)? Has your brand extended an invitation to drives of EV’s? If you have not yet, you had better start planning for your customers next steps.  EV’s are going to be relevant to over 26 million consumers by 2030. 

Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions® believes if your brand is not evolving with relevance it is dying. It’s important that you at least begin the process of looking a customer ahead.

In a report from The Edison Electric Institute (EEI), Electric Vehicle Sales and the Charging Infrastructure Required Through 2030 report was updated creating a consensus forecast now which is based on four independent forecasts done by Boston Consulting Group, Deloitte, Guidehouse, and Wood Mackenzie, as well as analysis from the National Renewable Energy Lab. The report concludes that:

·         The number of EVs on U.S. roads is projected to reach 26.4 million in 2030, up from the projected 18.7 million as projected in the 2018 report.

·         The projected 26.4 million EVs will make up nearly 10 percent of the 259 million light-duty vehicles (cars and light trucks) expected to be on U.S. roads in 2030.

·         Annual sales of EVs will be nearly 5.6 million in 2030, reaching more than 32 percent of annual light-duty vehicle sales in 2030. Compared to the 2018 forecast, this is an increase of more than 1.8 million in annual sales in 2030.

·         Nearly 12.9 million charge ports will be needed to support the projected 26.4 million EVs that will be on U.S. roads in 2030.

·         Approximately 140,000 Direct Current (DC) fast charging ports will be needed to support the level of EVs expected to be on U.S. roads in 2030.

Drivers of these cars are you customers. Now then; Trileaf Corporation, a leading Architectural and Engineering firm, announced that it is exploring the possibility of combining electric vehicle (EV) charging stations with pizza restaurants in a new marketing push that it believes could be a win for both industries.

So, Trileaf is offering free EV Charging Station Branding and Design Studies to pizza franchises to help them evaluate the benefits of electric vehicles for their business and local community. Trileaf's innovative design solutions and extensive expertise in property development make it well-equipped to support pizza franchises looking to add EV charging stations to their locations.

Roger Zimmer, Trileaf's Senior Structural Engineering Manager, stated, "We see this as a winning formula that benefits everyone," …. "EV drivers need more charging options, and pizza restaurants are always looking for new ways to attract customers, and often manage a fleet of delivery vehicles. By bringing these two industries together, we can create a unique and innovative offering that meets the needs of both."

In case you did not know, Trileaf has extensive expertise in creating comprehensive plans and providing exceptional project management for property development. The company offers site assessment and documentation services, helping clients identify existing property conditions and deficiencies for proposed renovations. Trileaf's team of experts conducts thorough due diligence on potential properties, examining factors such as permitting and zoning regulations, environmental concerns, and customer goals. With these capabilities, Trileaf is well-equipped to support the typical EV charging/pizza restaurant combination project and help bring it to fruition.

Don’t get left behind. Trileaf is currently engaging several major pizza chains about the possibility of adding EV charging stations to their locations. Trileaf believes that this could help pizza restaurants differentiate themselves from their competitors and attract a new, environmentally conscious customer base.

Zimmer continued, "We're excited about the potential of combining the convenience of EV charging with the popularity of pizza to create a new market that benefits both industries".

Success does leave clues, as Trileaf has a history of success in developing unique and profitable properties and has recently provided EV Charging Station solutions for multiple airport locations. With a solid reputation for providing exceptional design solutions for hundreds of property locations with nationwide coverage, the company believes that the EV charging/pizza restaurant combination could be its most exciting project yet.

"We're always looking for new opportunities to create value for our customers and our communities," adds Zimmer. "We believe that this new venture has the potential to do just that."

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 has been the global leader in the Grocerant niche. Contact: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us or 253-759-7869

Restaurants Marketing Branded Interactivity

 

It is at the intersection of interactive participatory food marketing, branded restaurants, Gen Z, Millennial’s, and all online gamers that restaurants are finding an opportunity to drive top-line sales and bottom-line profits.

According to Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions® extending your brands invitation in a new nontraditional channel of distribution is key to evolving your brand with relevance.

In case you did not know or have not heard, Liifer Technologies and Virtual Dining Concepts announced they are teaming up to allow users to instantly order MrBeast Burger directly within video games.

So, Liifer’s food ordering app for PC and Xbox consoles now includes all 1,500+ MrBeast Burger locations in the US and Canada and is supported within over 1,000 different video game titles. To kick off the partnership, MrBeast Burger orders through the Liifer app will be free of delivery charges for a limited time.

Louis-Philippe Ostiguy, Founder and Chief Gaming Officer at Liifer, stated, “Gamers don’t want to interrupt a gaming session to fumble about with a separate phone or computer app—they want to order their food instantly without having to stop playing,” … “This is a real win for gamers; not only can they now order directly in-game, but they also get free delivery on MrBeast Burger orders as part of this introduction.”

The Liifer app and platform uses keyboard hotkeys and controller buttons to instantly bring chosen food menu items to the forefront of most popular game titles, allowing users to place real orders in seconds without stepping away from their game.

Stephanie Sollers, CEO of Virtual Dining Concepts, stated, “MrBeast Burger is increasingly popular with gamers, especially after MrBeast was included in Epic Game’s Fortnite in December,” … “Being able to order MrBeast Burger within Fortnite and other games is the next logical step in making this brand even more accessible to gaming audiences, and it’s an organic integration that works perfectly for our brand.”

You’re going to like this part as will your customers. Once an order is placed, Liifer automatically finds the cheapest delivery service without adding any additional fees, allowing users to save both time and money while staying focused on their game.

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

Fresh Food Fast is What’s for Dinner

 

Americans do not want to eat alone is just one of the reasons consumers are tuning to restaurants again.  Consumers still don’t want to shop, and don’t want to cook, while man is a social and needs to connect with others and sharing a meal with friends, family, or even a stranger is preferred rather than eating alone according to Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.

Johnson asked, are your meals and meal components being offered in channels of distribution that empower consumers to choose your brand over your competitors ready-2-eat or heat-N-eat options or a newbies meal option’s?

First, we have to get the food.  Then we can eat.  So, a recent Numerator survey found that convenience ranks third in importance for a shopping experience, behind price and quality. Here is what they found:

When it comes to shopping convenience in-store and online, a recent study from Numerator found that 82 percent of shoppers say convenience is extremely or very important to them.

For millennials, this number jumps to 87 percent, while for boomers and older generations the number falls to 77 percent, according to the study entitled Mythbusters: Convenience.

Overall, respondents ranked convenience third in importance for a shopping experience, behind price and quality. However, 40 percent of respondents ranked convenience as their first or second shopping decision-making factor.

When it comes to what makes an in-store shopping experience convenient:

·         Store location is the top in-store convenience factor. One in five respondents said store location is the most important factor for convenience, with another 50 percent saying it plays a role. 

·         Close to four in five (78 percent) respondents consider the most convenient store location to be the one that is closest to home, followed by one along a route they travel regularly (54 percent). 

·         Gen Z respondents prefer having a store within walking distance (25 percent) and along a public transportation route (13 percent). This is because Gen Z respondents are 20 percent more likely to live in urban settings and 45 percent less likely to own a vehicle, according to Numerator.

·         Gen Z respondents are 30 percent more likely than respondents of other generations to consider self-checkout a key component of convenience. 

When it comes to what makes an in-store shopping experience convenient:

·         More than four in 10 Gen Z consumers (44 percent) prefer online stores that make it easy to use promotions/coupons.

·         Almost three in 10 millennials (28 percent) like the ability to store payment information, and 20 percent of boomers and respondents from older generations find customer service the most convenient aspect of online shopping. 

·         More than four in 10 of all respondents (43 percent) find online shopping somewhat or much more convenient than in-store. Millennial respondents are the most likely generation to favor online shopping (48 percent), followed by Gen X (46 percent). Gen Z finds in-store shopping "somewhat" to "much more" convenient (32 percent) than other generations.

The Numerator study also revealed that respondents find it more convenient to shop in-store for perishable food and beverages (77 percent), frozen or refrigerated food and beverages (74 percent), and large home goods or furniture (55 percent).

Alternatively, they find it convenient to shop online for pet food and supplies (31 percent), small appliances or electronics (29 percent), and baby and toddler items (24 percent).  

 

It’s at the intersection Baby boomers and Generation Z that we are finding common ground when it comes to their preferences for sharing meal experiences and food traditions.

Once again it is in a new nationwide survey of more than 2,000 consumers from research and consulting practice Y-Pulse found that shared experiences, food traditions and local ingredients are finding favor with modern consumers of all ages.

Sharon Olson, executive director of Y-Pulse, stated, "So often we see significant differences in the dining habits and preferences among consumers in different generations, yet the findings in this recent study confirm that food really does bring people together," …. "It was encouraging to hear study participants of all ages saying that they enjoy creating their own food traditions when they cook with friends and family."

Here you go, when it comes to food and dining, the three areas of agreement among baby boomers (those born between 1946 and 1964) and Gen Zers (those born between 1997 and 2012) are:

The Importance of Shared Food Experiences

Approximately 85 percent of baby boomers and 86 percent of Gen Z study participants said they prefer sharing meals with other people rather than dining alone. When a restaurant visit includes a sit-down dinner rather than a fast fuel stop, 83 percent of baby boomers and 86 percent of Gen Z consumers reported that they prefer to share a dining experience with others.

Members of both cohorts enjoy food market venues that facilitate sharing food with a group of diverse tastes and preferences. Eighty percent of baby boomers and 87 percent Gen Zers agreed that takeout from different stands at a food market makes it easy to share a meal with others when not everyone in the party wants the same type of food.

Embracing Food Traditions is Meaningful

Nostalgic foods and family traditions are important and appealing to boomers and zoomers. Not only do they appreciate old family recipes, but they also enjoy creating new traditions. A whopping 88 percent of baby boomers and 84 percent of Gen Zers said old family recipes were among their favorite meals. There was also strong interest in creating their own food traditions when cooking for friends and family, according to 76 percent of baby boomers and 82 percent of Gen Z participants.

The Appeal of Local

Members of the baby boomer (74 percent) and Gen Z (72 percent) cohorts agreed that they prefer to order menu items with locally sourced ingredients. Although the premium price of local goods is a cause for concern among many consumers, the majority of those surveyed said they value locally produced goods enough to pay a premium price. Seventy-one percent of baby boomers and 68 percent of Gen Z said they do not understand why local food items cost so much more than foods that have to be shipped from a distance. However, 70 percent of boomers and 77 percent of zoomers are willing to pay a little bit more for food that comes from local producers.

For international corporate presentations, regional chain presentations, educational forums, or keynotes contact: Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.  His extensive experience as a multi-unit restaurant operator, consultant, brand / product positioning expert, and public speaking will leave success clues for all. For more information visit GrocerantGuru.com, FoodserviceSolutions.US or call 1-253-759-7869

Grocerant Meals for Immediate Consumption Drives Sales

 

Who is your customer, how are they eating, where are they buying meals and meal components today.  That said, don’t stop where will they be shopping next week, next month, next year.  What channels of distribution are your entrees, sides, or deserts selling?

Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions® believes that if you are not evolving with your consumer’s, you are capitulating market share. If you are a fresh food, meal provider today and want to drive new electricity into your brand or garner new consumers you should know about the Instacart and Roku partnership.

So, Instacart and Roku have teamed up to help consumer packaged goods (CPG) advertisers make TV advertising more relevant and performance-driven across the entire streamer’s journey. A pilot with select partners revealed that consumers who saw the ad on Roku bought more of the advertised products on Instacart. 

You might not know that, in a pilot with a personal care brand, 60% of those who bought the brand after seeing its campaign on the Roku platform were new to the brand. Additionally, those who were exposed to a beverage brand’s Roku campaign and were new buyers of the brand had a 70% higher repeat rate than the average new-to-the-beverage-brand buyer on Instacart.

This new collaboration brings together viewership data from TV streaming platform Roku and insights from grocery tech company Instacart for marketers to measure whether streamers are buying products on Instacart after seeing an ad on the Roku platform. By matching this data with Roku’s first-party data, marketers can gauge the effect of TV streaming advertising on product sales. The companies intend for the partnership to help accelerate the shift of ad dollars into streaming TV and retail media. Consumer interest in TV streaming is growing: According to NielsenIQ, in July 2022, time spent streaming TV was larger than broadcast or cable for the first time.

Alison Levin, VP of ad revenue and marketing solutions at Roku, stated, “Our goal is to help marketers get more of what they love in TV,” noted. “Our partnership with Instacart makes it easier to measure actual return-on-advertising spend in e-commerce and meet consumers where they are – streaming TV.” 

The new capability, Instacart’s first TV streaming measurement partnership, will offer advertisers consumer purchase insights from its Marketplace, which teams with more than 1,100 retail banners and 80,000-plus stores throughout North America. With Instacart Ads, thousands of CPG brands – category leaders and emerging brands alike – work with the company to connect directly with consumers online at the point of purchase.  

Ali Miller, VP of ads product at San Francisco-based Instacart, stated, “With Instacart Ads, we’re committed to providing CPG brands the ad products, automation, insights and measurement they need to help them meet their objectives and prove their investment,” … which is available to more than 95% of households in the United States and Canada…. “We’re proud to partner with America’s No. 1 TV streaming platform, Roku, to give CPG brands even more insights to help them enhance and optimize their campaigns across TV streaming. As we look ahead, we’ll continue to innovate and expand on integrations and insights across every touchpoint of the consumer journey to serve CPGs better.” 

Are you looking for new customers? Do you want to keep your current customers while building new electricity? According to Johnson, “Brand relevance is in part driven with innovation in new food products in combination with new avenues of distribution all of which are the platform for the new electricity.” 

Johnson stated “that in my minds-eye the new electricity must be very efficient for the supply and includes such things as fresh foods, developing brands, unique urban clothing, grocerant positioning, fresh food messaging, autonomous delivery, cashier-less retail, plates, glasses, cash-less payments, digital hand-held marketing.

All retailers to survive the next generation of retail must embrace the artificial intelligence revolution while simultaneously embracing fresh food that is portable, fresh, with differentiation that is familiar not different. 

This new partnership aims to provide innovative full-funnel solutions offering greater accountability in TV streaming. With the addition of Instacart, advertisers can access even more e-commerce data from grocers and drug stores, alcoholic beverages, apparel, beauty, home and office, and pet care products. 

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