Merchandising Still Matters Most in Meat Dept.

Although retailers now have more methods at their disposal to capture customers’ attention than ever, the importance of visual merchandising in the meat department – via both compelling case-sets and eye-catching POP – remains the single most influential means of commanding attention, capturing eyeballs, and ultimately inspiring shoppers to buy.

That’s the resounding endorsement offered by retail meat officials responding to PG’s 2014 Annual Retail Meat Report. That engagement process, however, most often starts before routine or would-be meat department shoppers set foot inside the store. Enter weekly circulars and flyers, for which the retail meat department has long served as the crown jewel among all other departments – not only with elevating the store’s overall reason for being, but also as the key driver of the overall printed package of deals and specials throughout the store.

The promotions-driven meat department continues to rely heavily – for good reason – on temporary price reductions (TPRs) and BOGOs, which are being communicated in a medley of ways, inclusive of direct mail, social networks or digital marketing. Category management, rightfully so, is also making continued inroads in the fresh meat channel, which is reaping further benefits with tactical guidance for more effective cross-promotions, timely “flash sales” of appropriate products, and mix-and-match bundles.