Hot, Cold, Healthy and Fast
CHICAGO - As foodservice continues to be a major focus
of convenience and petroleum retail operations, keeping up with consumer demand
can be daunting.
In a session moderated by Jim Bressi, director of food research and development
at Kwik Trip Inc., food trend experts Tim Pirovano, director of retailing
insights at The Nielsen Company, and Kevin Higar, director of operator product
development at Technomic Inc., shared how convenience stores can stay ahead of
their customers' needs by exploring today's consumer trends.
Has the struggling economy affected organic foods? Nope. In fact, organics
continue to grow (25 percent last year) and show no signs of slowing down.
Pirovano suggested that this may be because consumers of organics are typically
higher income shoppers and largely unaffected by the state of the economy.
However, the real growth may be in products labeled "natural," which grew 11
percent last year.
The current consumer environment, according to Higar, likely means bad news for
food operators, thanks to factors such as gasoline prices, higher unemployment
rates, rising consumer energy prices and falling consumer sentiments.
So what are consumers looking for? Largely, the trends revolve around
identifying consumer needstates and satisfying convenience and work/life balance
needs for shoppers who have families, work long hours or don't have time to
cook. Consumers are looking for more locations, longer hours of service, menu
variety, pickup or takeout options, physical aesthetics, speed of service and
customer service.
In the restaurant industry, customers are translating convenience and work/life
balance to mean takeout options, portability (i.e., sandwiches), breakfast
offers (i.e., eating on the run, on the way to work), products that provide
lifestyle enhancements (i.e., manage blood pressure, provide energy and health
benefits) and social consciousness (i.e., products that are an extension of a
consumer's values, fair trade products). But above all, food quality and taste
is critical.
The opportunity for convenience stores? According to a 2007 Technomic report, 50
percent of consumers purchased prepared meals at retail locations other than
restaurants at least once a month. Retailers can target these consumers by
offering high quality and fresh foods, focusing on good presentation of their
foods, providing variety, and in some cases, lower pricing than restaurant
takeout menus.
BACK TO HOME PAGE
