FOOD RETAIL TACTICS

June – the start of summer. Out come the picnics, strawberries, Pimm’s and sweet smell of BBQs’. To add to this delight, it is London Food Month. The city celebrates culinary creativity through array of exciting events and markets to get our taste buds watering.

According to The Financial Times, ‘the value of retail sales, excluding food, fell on an annual basis for the first time since 2011’ in March. The British Retail Consortium depicts that food sales in store grew 0.8% in the last three months. So June, it appears, to be a great month for Food. So what does it take to thrive in the business of Food Retail? Here are some of our favourite food concepts and the tactics that are using to innovate.

Franco Manca and Cause Retailing

The Guardian disclosed that in Edelman’s Brandshare report, 87% of consumers globally say they want a “meaningful relationship” with brands. A study conducted by Havas media established that 75% of people believe that businesses have a moral and ethical obligation to conduct themselves in a way that promotes social good.

Last month, Franco Manca offered consumers free pizza in exchange for vegetables to celebrate National Vegetarian Week. All food collected was donated to a community food-share initiative in Brixton, The People’s Fridge.

Oero and Co-creation

Crowd-sourced tactics are not new and it is something we have seen boom in beauty with Glossier’s milk cleanser and Urban Decay’s eye palette. Consumers expect to be a part of a brand’s community and this includes having influence within decision-making.

Capitalising on this, Oreo asked their customers to create their next new oddball flavour. Enabling the consumer to be play a crucial role within brand decision-making helps to nurture a relationship and build long term loyalty.

Taco Bell and Insider Kitchens

Trading on the allure of exclusivity and promoting consumers to have insider status, Taco Bell invited their customers to enjoy a 5-course meal in a test kitchen in their head quarters. The meals are free, however there are only 23 spots available. The tactic demonstrates the rise of secrecy to foster engagement between brands and consumers.

SAGAYA and Immersive Seasoning

In Tokyo, Japanese art collective teamLab has produced an immersive experiences that responds to the movements of diners’. According to LSN Global, the dining space is designed to enable diners to fully experience Japanese nature. Shrewdly, as the seasons change, the display does too to mimic the current climate. For instance, cherry blossom is projected throughout spring.