I came across this and thought I would share, When I read this I thought that times have really changed in our business, see the last suggestion made.
Meat retailers should consider everything from helping male shoppers to pushing meat’s health benefits, promoting eco-friendly packaging, offering special deals through social media and rewarding customer loyalty to adapt to evolving retail consumer needs, according to Midan Marketing.
More men
The firm said while female shoppers are still important, the increase in male shoppers as the recession took some of their jobs and Generation X dads become more involved, should be addressed in the meat case by:
Helping men feel competent as shoppers
Moving men past the grill in their meat choices
Helping men error-proof their meal preparation
Engaging men within the store
“Me” to “We”
Shoppers five years ago were more self-involved and cared less about their wasteful ways, but today’s shoppers care about their carbon footprint and their health, specifically looking for ways to minimize health care costs, according to the firm’s research. In response, meat-marketing efforts in stores should:
Shift the focus to the health benefits of meat (zinc, iron, B vitamins)
Offer cart evaluation or accountability apps for shoppers to use with their smart phones so they can evaluate their own shopping choices
Develop an appropriate meat nutrition rating system, as the existing ones do not translate well to meat
Implement recycling programs
Guard against over-packaging
Find ways to promote the meat case itself as “eco-friendly”
Expecting more faster
Today’s shoppers are impatient multitaskers. They want instant information that is easy to read and understand quickly. To respond, the firm suggests:
Getting on board with the latest technology
Simplifying signage with color-coding and icons
Make it easy for shoppers to use their own technology at the meat case
Taking back control
The final trend Midan Marketing identified is a desire for shoppers to take control of their spending, their health, and their ability to choose what type of products they buy and how they have been produced. Their advice for the meat case is:
Be proactive and transparent
Step up with a credible voice and set the record straight on meat-related issues
Work to improve product traceability
Offer special deals through social media
Set up “lay away” plans for big holiday meat purchases
