Your Winning Game Plan for NFL Championship Day
By Al Heller, Contributing Editor, SupermarketGuru.com
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.
Retail dietitians that advance healthful eating ideas for this TV-watching event in millions of homes help stores capitalize on America’s second-biggest day for food-consumption. They also raise their image with shoppers as knowledge resources for smart home entertainment year-round. Only Thanksgiving is a bigger food day, says the USDA.
To strengthen business-building reputations, RDBA recommends this timeline:
- Engage customers by early January. Message on social media about healthier foods being part of an all-inclusive solution for Big Game party hosts. Hot topics include inventive salads and fruit platters, smart substitutes such as grilled chicken and pizza with cauliflower crust. Excite people with photos of special dishes for Game Day co-developed by store chefs and you, and schedule tastings and post coupons to encourage orders.
- Host a pre-Big Game Night at the store by mid-January. Sample innovative packaged and prepared foods with healthy twists, offer discounts for early orders, and discuss food allergies and smart Game Day alternates so hosts can be ready with safe choices for all their guests.
- Set up a go-to display of better-for-you versions of popular Game Day foods near your work area. Sign them as RD-APPROVED. Keep this up until game time as a convenient solution for large numbers of last-minute shoppers.
This game plan is a winner because industry data from the past three years show:
- 45% of America’s Big Game viewers will be at a party, says the National Retail Federation.
- 50% of Americans food-shop a few days before the Big Game, says 84.51° and 44% of older Millennials (age 25-34) shop a week before the game. Grocery stores and supermarkets capture 75% of this traffic, notes the International Council of Shopping Centers. As a result, grocery store and supermarket visits surge 20% on the weekend of the Big Game, adds the Sense360 panel of one million+ anonymous mobile devices.
- Most grocery shoppers (53%) use retailer apps to shop the store, and 59% seek sales or coupons on their mobile devices, according to a Food Marketing Institute/Nielsen study. Their baskets may be larger if they get home delivery or curbside pickup.
"The season’s biggest game is much more than just a sports event. In many ways, [this] Sunday has become a bona fide American holiday. And like with most holidays, food and drinks both play an important role in our national celebration,” states Nielsen.
