SHOPPERS HOT FOR IN-STORE BAKERY

ROSEANNE HARPER

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Consumers are hot for fresh-baked bread -- but cool on self-service that can compromise product sanitation.

That's what in-store bakery shoppers told researchers in a study commissioned by the International Dairy-Deli-Bakery Association, and conducted by The Gallup Organization, Princeton, N.J. A summary of the study's findings was presented by Rosita Thomas, a Gallup research consultant, at IDDA's annual convention held here.

Aroma is the major purchase driver in the in-store bakery, and consumers want to know when the next batch of bread is coming out of the oven.

"Consumers say the smell of food above all else attracts them. It brings back memories, and it's comforting," Thomas said. That brings home the importance of baking some breads or other bakery items throughout the day, she added.

Three out of four consumers polled said it's "very important" for their supermarket to announce over the public address system when fresh-baked bread is taken out of the oven. But only 22% said their bakeries do it, according to Thomas.

The study, which gauged consumer opinions about the quality of service in supermarket bakeries and delis, involved polling 500 in-store bakery consumers, 500 deli consumers and conducting six consumer focus groups in different parts of the United States.

The study showed that freshness and convenience are the top reasons consumers shop their in-store bakery. The quest for convenience, however, hits a wall when it comes to self-service.

"Consumers have a love-hate relationship with self-service. They talk about its convenience, but they have big concerns about sanitation," Thomas said, as she showed video clips from a consumer focus group. "Watch this. It's significant that when consumers in this group were asked how they liked the idea of self-service not one person said they liked it."

What they did say was that they thought it was unsanitary. They pointed out that some people use their hands, not the provided tongs, to pick up doughnuts or bagels, and one participant said he had seen children playing with the bakery items in a bin.

While 70% of those polled said their supermarket bakeries offered products self-service, only 56% thought this was an important feature. Only 35% of those who don't have self-service now in their supermarket bakery would want it. Focus group members said they would rather wait to be served. But they also said they would prefer having items packed in boxes with windows so the check-out staff could see what was in the box.

"I don't like having them [the check-out staff] open a bag to look in it. They're not wearing gloves and they're handling money," said one participant.

Those same concerns led other people in the focus group to say they decidedly did not want a separate cash register in the bakery or the deli. "Money changes so many hands, I don't want them handling the food also," said one focus group member.

Providing food storage information was at the top of the list of those factors called "very important" by in-store bakery shoppers, but most are not getting it. While 80% considered food storage information very important, and 72% of those who are offered it now would like to have it, only 32% said the information is supplied by their supermarket bakery.

When asked if they were satisfied with the variety offered, only half answered yes. The same was true of those questioned about variety in the deli.

On the other hand, 36% of those polled said they were satisfied with prices in the bakery. Only 26% were satisfied with prices in the deli. But for the bakery as well as the deli, the satisfaction with price had no significant impact on spending in the departments, the study showed.

Just over 90% of both bakery and deli customers said the most important service provided by employees is that they be courteous and friendly. Quick and efficient service came in second, and wearing gloves came in third.

Both deli and bakery customers offered these suggestions for encouraging them to buy more: provide wider selections, offer better prices and provide guaranteed fresh products.

More results from the study will be made available in the fall by IDDA. For more information call IDDA at (608) 238-7908.