Retail Industry Insights

In preparation for all the wonderful things the food world was looking forward to in the year 2000, I sat down with European artist Herbert Hofer to share my vision of what a supermarket might look like in 2000. The year was 1989 and Hofer painted a consumer experience second to none.

While heart health isn’t a new topic to feature with shoppers, there’s good reason to continue doing so – it sells.

There are 18 companies that self-regulate foods advertised to kids age 12 and younger through participation in the Council of Better Business Bureaus’ Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative. 

You may have heard your retail leadership talk about analyzing syndicated product data but may not fully understand what it is and how this data can impact purchasing, merchandising and advertising decisions. Brands and retailers can use this data to identify trends such as competitor growth and market share, and compare store-level sales by product. Mark McKeown, from IRI, provided some insights on ways this data may prove useful to retail dietitians:

Retail food shopping for this upcoming February 3, the day of the National Football League Championship Game, should exceed $14 billion, a level it has topped in each of the past three years.

A blockchain is a digital ledger that is shared across a network of computers.  Once a record has been added to the chain, it’s very difficult to change. Since every transaction is recorded on a block and across multiple copies of the ledger that are distributed over many nodes (computers), it’s very transparent.

During a recent symposium in Minneapolis, NPD staff shared insights on today's consumers, and how their habits impact the food industry.  Key insights and implications for the work of retail dietitians are highlighted here.

The 2018 Food Retailing Industry Speaks report explores those issues that impact food sales positively or negatively, describes some of the strategies retailers are using to differentiate themselves, and looks at the growing impact of e-commerce. Several of the results are encouraging for the current and future role of retail dietitians:

As retail dietitians you know the powerful health benefits that pears provide, yet too often, this unassuming fruit goes unnoticed by shoppers. How do you increase pear consumption among your shoppers – and produce sales for your stores? Stemilt Growers, a long-time leader in premium pears, recommends tapping into unconventional themes and creating special events with “hidden holidays” to highlight this nutrient powered fruit.  

A study conducted by FMI and Rodale in 2016 showed that 71% of parents said they would like to eat dinner with their child every night. Unfortunately, the frequency of family meals is low (FMI U.S. Grocery Shopper Trends, 2018). Conflicting schedules, a dislike of the food served, and the varied schedules of a busy family are often the key excused cited, however, positive momentum is being seen.