CARTERET, N.J. -- Independently-owned Metro New York area grocery chains Pioneer Food Stores and Met Foodmarkets, supplied by White Rose Food, a division of Di Giorgio Corp. here, have rolled out a shelf-talker program from Insignia Systems, Minneapolis.
Bob Groves, director of retail services at White Rose, said it's too early to tell if the point-of-purchase system will positively affect sales.
"We like the concept and the performance of the program," said Groves. "It's tapping an income source for the stores from manufacturing funding we wouldn't normally see." He declined to elaborate.
However, these signs are among the tried and true, according to Scott Simcox, Insignia System's vice president of marketing. "These signs work," he said. "There's a 40% lift on products [associated with these promotion signs]."
He said the program was rolled out to 43 Pioneer Food Stores in New York and New Jersey in late October. All together, 139 stores have instituted the signage, with the remaining units under the Met Foodmarkets banner, according to Groves.
Approximately 20 to 30 stockkeeping units in grocery and non-food departments, including six to eight brands, are being promoted by the signs, Groves said.
The signs display colors, logo, tagline and price points specified by the retailer, as well as three bullet points provided by the manufacturer, according to Ed Tripet, vice president of information technology at Insignia Systems.
"Retailers are going toward this 'clean store' policy [where all signs are uniform]," said Tripet. We spot-address specific markets, and get brand-specific messages for the product." He also said using demographic-specific markets "is a huge plus.
"Consumers want graphically appealing information to help them make shopping and buying decisions," Simcox said, "and we want to complement the look and feel of the retailer." Because of this goal, Simcox said, retailer participation in the turn-key program customized on an account-specific basis is high.
