This family vacation destination and mega-chain restaurant dominated city welcomed leaders in the dairy, deli and bakery business to learn about the latest products and opportunities. Keynote speakers focused on personal and professional growth.
Beyond Impulse Purchases
New retail formats like Amazon Go stores with limited staff and no cashiers put pressure on new products and innovative packaging to stand out and sell themselves to convenience driven consumers.
Deli and Bakery Trends
Elevated Everyday Catering – Unique and unexpected offerings add imagination and excitement to home parties like sushi cakes and dessert charcuterie.
Bento Boxes Liven up Lunch – Fresh ingredients and elegant composition make bento boxes appealing to adults and children who crave a fresh experience for an everyday meal.
Grocerant Evolution – Turnkey, stand alone themed concepts that offer ready to eat, ready to heat and all options in between are “evolutionizing” grocerants.
Sweet and Savory – These flavor combinations are endlessly tempting like sweet and savory waffles with toppings that serve up all day satisfaction.
Visual Branding – Retailers are taking tips from restaurants that create food items to be photographed.
Balancing Health & Indulgence
Customizing Lifestyle Diets – As the awareness of individually customized nutrition programs grows, consumers are becoming more mindful of their food choices.
Life in Balance – 61% of consumers in the US and several western European countries reported they use physical activities to balance their food indulgence.
Ingredient Focus – More than half (59%) of consumers in the same study limit certain ingredients in their diets.
Conscious Choices – The quest for clean ingredient statements continues. 75% of consumers said that eating less processed foods is important to them.
(Source: Culinary Visions Global Study 2019)
The Customer Experience
Reputation is everything to draw new customers and keep loyal customers, especially for deli operations. 88% of consumers said a retail store’s reputation was important when buying fresh foods according to a recent Culinary Visions® study.
Implications for Food Marketers
Build More with Less – Products and packaging that allow operations to build menu offerings quicker and with fewer ingredients are in demand.
Small Brands Reaching Big Audiences – Modern marketing techniques and consumer acceptance of e-commerce give niche products and start-ups a boost.
Private Branding – Private labels are considered specialty brands by consumers and often with a higher value perception than national brands.
Fresh Merchandising:
Techniques that Sell
- Uncluttered and thoughtfully composed display cases
- Transparent packaging that allows the food to sell itself
- Fully stocked display cases communicate fresh, manage displays for high demand and off-peak hours