research Archives
Posted inPrivate Label Brands, National, News

Report: Shoppers Ditch Name Brands For Private Label As Prices Increase

A new national survey by RDSolutions reveals that 86 percent of U.S. shoppers have switched to private label products for at least some of the items they regularly purchase – underscoring growing price sensitivity amid inflation and looming global tariffs. Conducted in May among 250 verified U.S. consumers, the survey found that price is the dominant […]

Posted inHealth & Wellness, Home Page Slider, Southwest

Gift From Alumna Establishes Cannabinoid Research Center

by Tony Phifer/Colorado State University Leslie Buttorff, founder and CEO of Panacea Life Sciences in Golden, Colorado, has given $1.5 million to Colorado State University to support research on cannabinoids. Buttorff’s long connection to her alma mater and the success of her woman-led, Colorado-based business, Panacea Life Sciences, inspired a $1.5 million gift to Colorado State […]

Posted inInternational Foods, Amazon Fresh, Guest Contributors, Home Page Slider, National, Whole Foods

Soto: Know Your Multicultural Customers So You Can Grow Sales

by Terry Soto/multicultural marketing expert The California Grocers Association’s “Minding the Gap” Strategic Conference took place recently in Palms Springs, California, where retailers brought up specific challenges they currently are attempting to manage when it comes to growing sales among multicultural grocery shoppers. Understanding how to assort authentically for diverse Hispanic and Asian shoppers came […]

Posted inPrivate Label Brands, National

Private Brands Research Shows Complexity Of Consumer Expectations

Newly released consumer research by Food Marketing Institute (FMI) and its insights provider IRI reveals that food retail private brands have greater influence on where grocery customers shop. Today, 46 percent of consumers say store brands influence their store choice, versus just 35 percent three years ago, and private brands are gaining fans across a […]

Posted inMeat/Seafood/Poultry, Marketing News, Perishables, Suppliers, West

Crowd Cow, Midan Marketing To Research Online Meat Consumers

Seattle, Washington-based Crowd Cow, an online marketplace for craft meats, has entered a strategic partnership with Midan Marketing, a full-service marketing agency based in Chicago that serves clients in the meat industry. The goal of the partnership is to clearly define who the online meat shopper is and how to best serve their needs. “Partnering […]

Posted in, Association News, Grocery News, Health & Wellness, Home Page Slider, Industry News, Midwest, Produce News

Study Finds Health Benefits Of Montmorency Tart Cherry Juice

Montmorency tart cherry juice helped lower systolic blood pressure and LDL or “bad” cholesterol in older adults by reducing certain biomarkers of inflammation and oxidative stress in older adults, according to a new study published in Nutrients. Larger and longer follow-up studies are needed to confirm these findings. Montmorency tart cherries are the most common variety of tart cherries […]

Posted inBakery News, Association News, Grocery News, National

First Power Of Bakery Report To Debut At ABA 2019

The first annual Power of Bakery 2019 report, developed in partnership with the Food Marketing Institute and supported by Corbion, aims to bring an understanding of consumer perceptions, attitudes and behaviors regarding the bakery category in a grocery retail setting to help the industry optimize production, marketing, merchandising and branding decisions. Bakers will be able to utilize the […]

Posted inBakery News, Association News, Food Service News, Grocery News, National

IDDBA: Grow The Bakery Category With Bagel Superconsumers

Some consumers are heavy users of a particular product. Some are passionate about a product. The sweet spot is superconsumers: those who are heavy users and highly involved. These are the most profitable and insightful consumers. IDDBA commissioned The Cambridge Group to begin exploring superconsumer opportunities in bakery, cheese, dairy and deli. The goal of the project was […]

Posted inSnacks Brands, Grocery News, Home Page Slider, National

NPD Group: The Future Is Bright For Snack Foods

Once seen as guilty pleasures, snack foods have and will continue to evolve to be eating occasion solutions for a nation of consumers constantly on-the-go, reports The NPD Group in its recently published “Future of Snacking” report. Americans consumed nearly 386 billion ready-to-eat snack foods last year, with the vast majority of those eaten between […]

Posted inHome Page Slider, Amazon Fresh, National, Store News, Whole Foods

Trader Joe’s Again Takes Top Spot On Retailer Preference Index

Dunnhumby, a customer data science company, on Jan. 9 released the second annual dunnhumby Retailer Preference Index (RPI), a nationwide study that examines the $700 billion U.S. grocery market. The RPI study surveyed 7,000 U.S. households to determine which of the top 56 largest grocery retailers have the strongest combination of financial performance and consumer emotional […]

Posted in, Home Page Latest News, National

Survey: Shoppers Overwhelmingly Prefer Grocery Stores To Buying Food Online

Despite an abundance of new options for buying groceries online, American consumers still overwhelmingly prefer to do their shopping in stores, according to a new survey sponsored by Vixxo, a facilities management company. The research also found that providing an exceptional in-store experience and high-quality food are key drivers for keeping supermarket customers happy and loyal.  […]

Posted in, Home Page Latest News, National

Aging Consumers Slow Down U.S. Food And Beverage Consumption

While the economy is improving, the aging population and corresponding changes in life stage will contribute to the decline in total eating occasions on a per capita basis in the U.S., according to The NPD Group‘s recently released Eating Patterns in America. Modest population growth will result in a less than one percent annual increase in […]

Posted inNational, Aldi, Costco Wholesale, Home Page Latest News, Store News

Study: Trader Joe’s, Costco, Aldi Offer Best Customer Experiences

Budget-friendly, community-oriented grocery stores like Trader Joe’s, Costco and Aldi offer some of the best customer experiences of 2018, according to a new study from global customer agency C Space. The study demonstrates that it is the emotional aspects of customer experience that help companies stand out from the competition and create growth. C Space, […]

Posted inPackaging News, Association News, Home Page Latest News, Industry News, National

Food Retail Study Determines Transparency Yields Greater Brand Loyalty

A new report released Sept. 18 from Label Insight and the Food Marketing Institute (FMI) reveals that grocery shoppers exhibit loyalty to those products that create deeper relationships through information exchange.  “The Transparency Imperative” report found that shoppers increasingly demand transparency and a closer connection to their food, so much so that 75 percent are more […]

Posted inFood Service News, Home Page Latest News, National

NPD: Millennial Dinner-Planning Behavior Shifts With Life Stage

There was a time when Millennials were referred to as one big generational group and their behaviors were attributed to their generation vs. their age or life stage, much like Gen Zs are being described. Now that Millennials are older and vary in their life stages—single, married, parents—some of their behaviors when it comes to […]

Posted inNational, Deli News, Food Service News, Grocery News, Meat/Seafood/Poultry

Chicken Presents Opportunity For Sales Growth Across The Store

The old saying warns us not to count chickens, but for the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) industry, measuring chicken sales is essential to the bottom line. From the meat department to deli to dairy and more, chicken is an important product driving a total of $26.2 billion in annual sales in the U.S. But chicken’s […]

Posted inIndustry News, Grocery Store Equipment, Grocery Store Layout, Home Page Latest News, National

Long Lines, Slow Checkout Lower Shopper Satisfaction And Revenue

Technology company Digimarc Corp. has released findings from a commissioned survey revealing that long lines and poor checkout experiences reduce shopper morale, and are significant reasons for why consumers would shop elsewhere or shift to buying groceries online. Key findings from study include: Line length and the checkout experience has become as important as price […]

Posted inOnline Grocery Technology, Amazon Fresh, Home Page Latest News, Industry News, National, Whole Foods

Study: Online Grocery Is The Supermarket’s Business To Lose

Online grocery spending has reached 5.5 percent of total grocery spending in the U.S., according to a new study by strategic advisory firm Brick Meets Click, based on a survey of nearly 5,000 online consumers conducted in May 2018. Most of this growth is driven by existing online grocery shoppers placing larger orders. Supermarkets are in […]

Posted inMeat/Seafood/Poultry, Dairy News, Grocery News, Home Page Latest News, National

Plant-Based Food Sales Up 20 Percent, Report Finds

The Plant Based Foods Association (PBFA), a trade association representing 114 plant-based food companies, has released new data showing robust sales in the plant-based foods industry with dollar sales growth of 20 percent over the last year and sales topping $3.3 billion. “The plant-based foods industry has gone from being a relatively niche market to […]