Walmart is seeking more share of stomach in the food and beverage sector with Neighborhood Markets, Walmart Express and Social Media efforts on Facebook with My Local Walmart
Walmart is slowly rebuilding from 9 consecutive declines in same store sales. I see Walmart seeking more share of stomach in the food and beverage sector with smaller format and food focused Neighborhood Markets and their C Store sized Walmart Express.
Most recently they upped their Social Media efforts launching a Facebook App... My Local Walmart. This year they introduced Low Prices Every Day on Everything which reversed their strategy of SKU Rationalization, which is basically getting rid of a set of lower performing brands and products for more efficiency.
Just one problem... no one asked the customer! They are now going back to a retail concept called Controlled Clutter. This is merchandising in a less the clean and logical format and gives a store a warmer more friendly environment. Walmart stores were and continue to be too sterile and UN-inviting.
I decided to Connect the Dots on Walmart to illustrate that Walmart has been creating a new strategy one piece at a time to compete head on with supermarkets and convenience stores and make it easier and cheaer for the consumers to buy food.
Absolutely appalled by the new Dr. Pepper "men's" campaign and frankly get comprehend how you can get away with something like that in this day and age. Women can hate diet soda do, and I do. Now I also hate Dr. Pepper's regular line.
Ready, Set, Scan - Stop & Shop has an App for That! Smartphone apps and quick-response codes are the next wave of services that might make grocery shopping easier. Stop & Shop Supermarkets has a 3 store pilot that lets customers bag as they go by scanning items as they shop. The Stop & Shop app is linked to the customer-rewards card, so that customers can receive targeted specials and coupons related to items they like as they shop. IF you are a Stop & Shop customer visit the Stop & Shop app page.
October is officially National Pasta Month. According Joe Gozzi, Director of Specialty Foods at Shop Rite Store "pasta sales are growing despite the economy". ShopRite recently started selling a line of organic specialty pastas imported from Italy and packaged under its own label. Americans eat pasta an average of seven times a month, according to the National Pasta Association. They even have a dedicated web site I Love Pasta, with tips on healthy living and pasta recipes.
Pork and Dessert? Bacon Doughnuts Anyone! Gourmet doughnut shop Beyond Glaze in Draper, UT features regular raised doughnuts topped with maple-flavored frosting and sprinkles of crispy bacon. Dishtip, had some good consumer reviews...hmmm? Bear Country Cookies in Salt Lake has bacon-milk chocolate cookie... cookies made with pieces of bacon and milk chocolate chips. I think this is not a trend but a fad that will send bacon back to eggs!
There is a tiny industry of video producers and food stylists that work for fast food and fast casual restaurant chains. They make food pop open on cue to reveal delicious insides and make steamy scens of pasta come to life on TV. The food looks so wonderful and animated that these TV commercials provide the stimulus and motivation for you to run out and treat your self to an indulgent meal.
The New York Times video Hot Steamy Scenes of Pasta is an inside look at tabletop food cinematography - a production crew along with a team of food stylists creates mouthwatering shots of new pasta dishes to appear on the menu of fast casual chain Fazoli's. It can take 50 tries to get the exact look that works on TV.
Check out the video and then view this Fazolis commercial so you can then appreciate how these new Pizza Baked Pastas look soooooooo good!
Ready, Set, Scan - Stop & Shop has an App for That!