The 2014 Power of Meat report showed that shoppers' priorities have shifted when it comes to buying proteins. Though price remains a top factor in consumer purchase decisions, other factors are starting to influence what they buy and where they shop. Here are the top five insights that stores can capitalize on to meet consumer demand for beef:
1. CONSUMERS SAY VALUE IS ABOUT MORE THAN PRICE
Shoppers continue to be price sensitive and pay close attention to package sizes, but they're starting to put more emphasis on convenience, preparation time, nutritional content and knowing how to prepare the item. Help them understand how beef delivers on all of these attributes – it's a simple, delicious and nutritious option with endless possibilities.
2. CONVENIENCE IS KEY
At 4 p.m., many consumers still haven't decided what they're going to prepare for dinner. As a result, they often turn to foodservice. Capture their dinner dollar by being a source for convenient meal solutions like prepared foods and heat-and-eat items like beef kabobs and strips. Because consumers say that one-pot meals, pasta dishes and marinated meats are their go-to meals when they're short on time, further help them by cross merchandising beef and common ingredients used in these types of meals.
3. SHOPPERS WANT CHOICES IN THE MEAT CASE
Consumers shop both the meat case and the full-service meat counter and expect to see a variety of products available. They see value in options such as portion-sizes and leak-proof, resealable and freezer-ready packaging, so much so that they're likely to buy more based on the ease of use and cleanliness of the products. Differentiate your meat department by offering choices from portion-sized beef options to bulk packages to pre-marinated or value-added offerings.
4. CUSTOMER SERVICE INFLUENCES WHERE CONSUMERS SHOP
Shoppers don't consider price alone when determining how satisfied they are with their meat department. They rank customer service and having a butcher on hand as two very important factors in deciding whether to shop in a supermarket, supercenter, warehouse club or specialty retailer. Additionally, there's strong interest in getting preparation and recipe tips from the meat counter staff; nearly 90 percent say they'd use recipes, videos and educational in-store demos and classes if provided. Train meat counter staff to be shoppers go-to source on beef information.
5. FEATURING ACTIVITY DRIVES TRAFFIC TO THE MEAT CASE
The circular remains consumers' top tool when making their shopping list:
- 75 percent review the print circular at home
- 47 percent pick up a copy at the store
- 32 percent review the electronic circular through email or the store's website
Feature beef to drive traffic and check out the monthly sales and featuring summary report to benchmark your featuring against industry trends. Don't forget to reach shoppers at the point of sale; 90 percent of shoppers check prices in-store and sift through packages to find the desired quantity/package price. This presents an opportunity for retailers to display POS that highlights how beef is worth the price and keep an organized and well-stocked meat case.
Source: The Beef Checkoff
