- Grow and develop in-store healthy food marketing strategies. Understanding in-store healthy food marketing strategies is vital for changing consumer purchasing of healthy food in stores. Check out the case studies below to learn about successful strategies working across the country.
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Learn the four P’s of marketing. Healthy food marketing experts recommend that grocers become familiar with the four P’s of marketing—product, placement, price, and promotion—to increase the sale of healthy items in stores.
- Product: Become more aware of the mix, quality, variety, and nutritional composition of products in your store, as well as how products are packaged by manufacturers or wholesalers. This will better position you to ensure you are selling healthy foods. For more on product development, check out this profile on The Fresh Grocer (page 15) in this report by The Food Trust, Harnessing the Power of Supermarkets to Help Reverse Childhood Obesity.
- Placement: Product location and store layout greatly impact the purchasing decisions of consumers. Pinpointing and using prime locations to display healthy food, such as checkout aisles and end-of aisle displays, can hone your ability to sell specified items. Making sure healthy items are accessible at eye level can also bolster your ability to market these goods. For more on placement, check out this profile on Hannaford Foods (page 16) in this report by The Food Trust, Harnessing the Power of Supermarkets to Help Reverse Childhood Obesity.
- Price: Remain aware of how you incentivize purchasing through pricing. The implementation of sales, specials, branding, and differentials pricing practices can help you control how products are seen through the eyes of the consumer. Track whether discounts or other variations in the price of a product assist with sales.
- Promotion: Consider using in-store marketing strategies and in-store nutrition education programs to connect consumers to healthy foods. For more information on successful promotional programs, check out the work and the Produce Marketing Association’s Eat Brighter! promotional campaign.
- Coordinate with existing efforts. Grocers and other healthy food retail operators can partner with academic institutes, marketing firms, nonprofit organizations, public health departments, and other stakeholders to implement in-store marketing strategies. These partnerships can be tied to affiliated endeavors, such as SNAP education and nutrition education programs, and can encourage local support for individual grocery stores and supermarkets. Check out the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene as one example. They offer free decals and other in-store marketing materials for store owners to use at no cost.
- Develop incentive programs for healthy foods. Grocers and retailers can encourage the purchase of healthy food items by providing incentives. Loyalty programs that advertise healthy foods to consumers can boost the sale of healthy items and create a devoted customer base. Coupon programs being implemented across the country, such as Fair Food Network’s Double Up Food Bucks program, increase the purchase of healthy foods to the benefit of the consumer and retailer.
- Tap into the demand for locally grown foods. Recent research shows that consumers are interested in supporting their local food economies by purchasing items produced in their state or community. Grocery stores and supermarkets can tap into this demand by purchasing and marketing products from local growers, wholesalers, and food hubs in their region.
- Promote healthy food with cooking demonstrations. Retailers report these demonstrations contribute to keeping produce fresh and getting it out the door.
Key Strategies
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