Seasons change and so does customer preference. What doesn’t change is your need for effective merchandise planning that focuses on your customer needs. Here are five key pieces of advice to maintain a booming fresh prepared foods department.
1. Stay on Top of Health (and Other) Trends
Fresh products are closely connected with consumer perceptions of better health and nutrition. Promoting nutritional value and benefits encourages your customers to incorporate more fresh items into their diets. Expand deli offerings for a department stocked with ready-to-eat, healthy and flavorful foods. Include innovative, sustainable recipe concepts such as plant-based, low sodium, digestive, paleo, gluten-free, vegan, etc. You’ll give your department relevance and consumers a reason to shop our co-ops. When planning, bear in mind that fresh isn’t only better-for-you items. It’s family favorites and traditions. It’s convenience and time savings. It’s something new, even adventuresome at times.
2. Keep It Simple
Simpler is better when it comes to fresh. Avoid vast assortments in prepared foods. Focused programs help drive turns and ensure freshness. There are ways to sell the same item in multiple formats — such as in the hot bar, in the service case and prepacked in the cold case — that meet more shoppers’ needs but maintain streamlined offerings. Ensure that customers quickly find what they’re looking for. Make it easy for your consumers to shop your department and use the products you sell. Whether it’s fast meals, education about how to use new items, or a fresh take on old favorites, be the customer’s solution and keep them coming back.
3. Create a Worthwhile Experience
Retailers must strive to make their fresh departments as inviting as possible. Adopting tactics such as eye-catching promotional items and merchandising activities that entice and educate consumers should be a top focus. This might include development of seasonal recipes and products to rotate on your shelves, in-store demos of seasonal items, and improved labeling information about product usages for different occasions. Recipe cards can also help boost engagement. Engage shoppers through connecting with staff in the store and product placement, through digital and social media, and through signage. Even though shoppers won’t be looking for an immersive experience every time they’re in the store, an exciting and engaging experience will convince consumers that the shopping trip was well worth it and increase the likelihood that they will be back.
4. Offer In-Store Samples
Offer free samples! I cannot stress enough how beneficial sampling can be for your store. Giving customers a chance to taste your products and providing opportunities for them to ask questions is the best way to make a sale. Sampling also gives your staff an opportunity to educate customers. It is probably any store’s best merchandising tool.
5. Collaborate with Other Departments
Fresh programs thrive when there is collaboration. Retailers need to develop marketing programs that tie together all perishable departments, tell a story and ultimately become the obvious choice for customers. Appreciate suggestions from another associate or department, and don’t be afraid to make suggestions for promoting your products in other areas of the store such as Willamette Valley Pies in produce. Innovation in product development and marketing promotions will be key components to the continued growth of prepared foods. Stay current with consumer trends, needs and shopping behaviors.
