It’s not enough to think about where products are sold. Bakers — and their retail partners — must also consider how they’ll be used.
“Baked goods gain attention throughout our Albertsons Companies stores,” Jewel Hunt, director, group vice-president, bakery, Albertsons, Boise, Idaho, recently noted during the International Dairy-Deli-Bakery Association’s annual show. “Our delis use our sandwich rolls and sliced bread for sandwiches, and rolls are a good tie in with soup bars, salad bars and hot foods bars, which we’re doing more of in many locations.”
While it’s almost impossible to predict how a typical shopper will walk the grocery store aisles, bakers can rely on myriad merchandising strategies to collaborate with retailers to encourage them to make the purchase, noted Editor Joanie Spencer in the July issue of Baking & Snack magazine. While impulse purchases are the low-hanging fruit for a quick sale, they must be the right items in the proper place at the most opportune time, suggested Mark Boyer, president, Tippin’s, a Kansas City, Kas.-based manufacturer of pies and other sweet goods.
For example, rather than selling a three-pack of brownies for $8 near the front of the store, the indulgent treats would sell much better as a single-serve item, especially during the busy lunch hour.
“People tend to grab something they’ll consume right there, and nobody’s going to want to eat three brownies at once,” Mr. Boyer said. “But if there was just one, and it was $3, you’d sell a lot more of them.”
Think beyond the bread or snack cake aisle — or even the in-store bakery — through effective cross-merchandising initiatives tailored to consumers’ everyday lifestyles and how they shop.
