9 Meat Department Shopping Trends in 2016

The meat department is one of the most important categories for many food retailers. A good meat department can help a store differentiate itself from the competition, and can be a significant driver of sales and foot traffic. The 2016 Power of Meat report produced by the Food Marketing Institute (FMI) and North American Meat Institute (NAMI) is chock full of data food retailers and suppliers can use to understand consumer shopping trends.

By: Sue Wilkinson, Senior Director, Information Service & Research, Food Marketing Institute  <img src="http://www.fmi.org/images/default-source/blog-images/power-of-meat-2016.jpg?sfvrsn=0&MaxWidth=350&MaxHeight=&ScaleUp=false&Quality=High&Method=ResizeFitToAreaArguments&Signature=2FCF29D7474453112A424253FF57A257" data-method="ResizeFitToAreaArguments" data-customsizemethodproperties="{'MaxWidth':'350','MaxHeight':'','ScaleUp':false,'Quality':'High'}" data-displaymode="Custom" alt="Power of Meat 2016" title="Power of Meat 2016" style="float: right; margin-top: 5px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 10px;" /> The meat department is one of the most important categories for many food retailers. A good meat department can help a store differentiate itself from the competition, and can be a significant driver of sales and foot traffic. The <a href="https://www.fmi.org/forms/store/ProductFormPublic/power-of-meat-2016">2016 Power of Meat</a> report produced by the <a href="http://www.fmi.org/">Food Marketing Institute</a> (FMI) and <a href="https://www.meatinstitute.org/">North American Meat Institute</a> (NAMI) is chock full of data food retailers and suppliers can use to understand consumer shopping trends.  Highlights from this year’s report include: <ul> <li>Promotions are a key element to solidifying sales among primary shoppers and attracting patrons of other channels. Forty-seven percent of shoppers decide on the meat/poultry purchase before they reach the supermarket. </li> <li>Connecting with Millennials is crucial for traditional formats to retain the meat dollar. This group has a higher propensity to occasionally shop alternative channels like farmers’ markets and online. </li> <li>Price per pound, along with total package price, dominates the purchase decision tree. </li> <li>A growing consumer desire for transparency in the product and the production process is driving sales gains.</li> <li>Six in 10 shoppers changed their meat/poultry purchases over 2015 by spending more, less or differently. </li> <li>Convenience meat/poultry items are growing, but the category needs careful consideration of program investments at the store level. </li> <li>Available, friendly, and knowledgeable associates in the meat department can be a big differentiator for food retailers. </li> <li>The meat case provides everyday convenience for the majority of purchases – this is where 70 percent of meat/poultry purchases are made. </li> <li>Shoppers’ suggestions for improving the meat department can be a key factor to optimizing meat department sales.</li> </ul> More detail on these findings can be found in the <a href="https://www.fmi.org/forms/store/ProductFormPublic/power-of-meat-2016">2016 Power of Meat</a> report.

Read full article on FMI