NEW YORK — Merchandising categories by product type, rather than brand, would help consumers shop the snack aisle better, according to an SN consumer focus group.
Arranging snacks based on health attributes — such as reduced-fat or reduced-sodium — would help consumers find what they desire, according to the research, based on in-store interviews with seven primary household shoppers (four women, three men).
Shelf signs would also help, said participant Ginger Jenkins, 48.
“A lot of people don’t have time to read labels,” Jenkins said during the study, conducted last month in the snack aisle of a Long Island, N.Y., supermarket. The supermarket did not want to be named.
Consumers Centers, a research firm with offices in New York and New Jersey, chose Jenkins and the other shoppers from its database. They were paid for their participation.
Phil Lempert, contributing editor to Supermarket News, moderated.
The research focused on “variety” snacks, which include popcorn, nuts, rice cakes and meat snacks. ConAgra Foods — marketer of variety snacks and other products — funded the research.
Participants said they like to eat popcorn for health reasons. While most said they know popcorn is healthier than salty snacks, they didn’t know why.
Lempert explained that popcorn is a whole grain, which is a good source of fiber and other nutrients.
In response, participants said such health attributes should be more clearly marked on the front of packaging or on aisle signs.
Arranging the snack aisle by product type rather than brand will also help them shop the aisle, participants said.
This would be especially helpful in the nut section. This category is attractive to shoppers for health reasons, participants said.
Nuts — specifically almonds — are typically viewed as a healthier snack, said Lynn Rice, a 37-year-old mother of two.
Rice said she eats a handful of almonds a day because she’s heard they’re healthy, though she didn’t know why. (Almonds are low in saturated fat and contain other nutrients that can help protect against cardiovascular disease and cancer.)
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Alex Aronowitz, 33, said he eats almonds frequently to get a burst of energy during the workday. He also enjoys the sunflower seeds as a midday treat.
Several participants agreed that sunflower seeds have become a staple in their homes, and also on the job.
Melissa Risolo, 38, keeps almonds in her desk drawer at work. She eats some when she feels sluggish and wants a healthy snack.
“It provides a pick-me-up that’s better than chips,” she said.
New flavor trends have made the nut category more appealing too, several participants said. They pointed to items like wasabi and soy almonds; ranch-flavored sunflower seeds; and sea salt and pepper cashews.
OMAHA, Neb. — Managing variety snacks as one category instead of individual ones will generate more growth and efficiencies, according to research from ConAgra Foods.
Variety snacks include meat snacks, nuts and popcorn. It does not include salty snacks like potato chips.
The time is right for manufacturers to think beyond their respective products, and develop ideas for the section as a whole, according to ConAgra.
“Retailers are looking for more thought leadership on this side of the aisle,” said Jim Clark, ConAgra’s manager of category leadership.
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ConAgra is doing just that, recommending category-wide planograms and merchandising options, according to Clark.
Among its suggestions is to shelve all snacks — including traditional salty snacks, natural/organic chips and variety snacks — in the same aisle. Another tactic is creating permanent and semi-permanent secondary placement. This could include a display at the checkout or clip-stripping meat snacks or sunflower seeds in the beer department.
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