Shopper marketing has steadily gained popularity since 2007, especially in North America. The process of shopper marketing digs in deep to understand the consumer, how they shop and examine their entire path to purchase, including activities at home, in transit and in store. Understanding the consumer enables the brand to effectively market products to the right person at the right time. Ultimately, the goal is to increase sales and create a loyal customer and eventually a brand ambassador. Read more about shopper marketing here. Read more

The food and beverage industry moves quickly and there is increasing pressure for industry leaders to keep up with the changing trends. In the past decade, the natural progression of a new product from introduction to mass or wholesale levels has sped up from five or six years to now potentially one or two years.  According to this article, there is pressure for new products to meet the ever-shifting consumer interest in even quicker timelines, which means distinguishing between short-term crazes and long-term trends. Read more

Millennials continue to be huge spenders wielding major purchasing power, but also continuing to baffle advertisers. So, how do you keep up with this target audience? Here’s a great summary of five strategies from FoodNavigator.com: Read more

According to a new study released, dining out occasions are largely impulse decisions with 53 percent of occurences being unplanned. That blows away routine dining occasions, which came in at 25 percent and special occasions brought in only 22 percent of visits. This trend is really no surprise as we see consumers shifting more and more to wanting what they want, when they want it. Read more

Since the 1950s, grocery store layouts have remained largely frozen in time. The layouts are functional and strategically lead the consumer through the supermarket. “Every inch of the traditional track around US supermarkets – from the beautifully lit piles of produce and bounteous bakery section to the inviting prepared foods – has been honed to maximize the grocery industry’s tried-and-true business strategy: Promote the national brands and packaged goods that drive customers in the door, but steer them toward the more profitable, perishable goods – such as fresh produce – where the supermarket really makes money” (Quartz, 2014). The layout encourages consumers to consider purchasing the products with higher profit margin above those with less, found in the center of the store. Read more