DISPLAY OF CLEANLINESS IS DELI ORDER FOR SUCCESS

ROSEANNE HARPER

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Consumers are serving up a full plate of suggestions for supermarket delis, and a major one is: Lose the half-empty platters in the service case.

Indeed, appealing displays rivaled cleanliness for the top spot on a consumers' list of reasons for spending money in the supermarket deli.

Consumers' opinions were collected in a research study conducted by the Gallup Organization, Princeton, N.J., and commissioned by the International Dairy-Deli-Bakery Association, Madison, Wis. A summary of the study's findings was presented at IDDA's annual exposition here.

According to Rosita Thomas, Gallup research consultant, consumers said displays and clean departments directly affected their perception of freshness, and most closely correlated with the amount they chose to spend in the department. On the other hand, satisfaction with prices did not significantly affect spending, Thomas said.

The results were based on a two-phase research method that used six consumer focus groups in different parts of the United States. Thomas showed clips from videos taken during the focus group meetings. That research was combined with telephone interviews of 500 supermarket deli users and 500 supermarket bakery users. "Consumers are amazingly observant," Thomas said of the subjects in the study. Her assessment was supported by direct comments from focus group participants.

"When it gets near the end of a

big tray of food, I don't want what's still on there. It doesn't look fresh, it doesn't look good. It looks like it's been sitting there all day," said one consumer.

Another said, "When I walk past the deli case, I wonder if they've taken the time to clean the night before."

In addition, 82% of the consumers polled deemed it "very important" that deli employees wear gloves.

Those who shop the deli regularly were those who showed the greatest satisfaction with cleanliness and displays. Customers who were very satisfied on those two accounts spent an average of $19 a person in the deli, while those who were less satisfied spent $16. Thomas said the lesson from that is it's important to make it obvious to customers that cleanliness is a priority. "When things aren't moving, you should make sure your customers know your department is clean. See that your associates are washing their hands, wearing gloves, changing their aprons frequently.

"Post a sign that tells customers you care about them and list the things you're doing to ensure their safety," Thomas said.

"Quality" was a factor driving sales too, but more difficult to measure because it means different things to different people, Thomas said. It includes freshness and value and service at the counter, as well as the taste and look of the product, she explained.

Only about 30% of consumers polled said they were satisfied with price. "But that's to be expected," Thomas said. It apparently didn't affect how often they shopped the department or how much they spent, she added. Consumers indicated, however, that they liked coupons -- even if they didn't use them.

One focus group in Richmond, Va., was particularly impressed with coupons that were specific to them, Thomas said.

"For instance, if they were frequent buyers of bagels, they were given coupons for those products. They said that was valuable to them."

What consumers are apparently not being given enough of is information.

Overall, only 30% of consumers said they were getting information about food storage from their supermarket deli. A whopping 85% of consumers who are offered such information said that it is "very important" to them. Of those who are not currently offered the information, 81% said they would like to have it.

Nearly the same goes for nutrition and calorie information. Seventy-five percent consider that information "very important," while 75% of those who aren't offered it would like to have it; but only 41% said their supermarket delis are providing the information.

Convenience offered by a take-a-number system was considered "very important" by 77%

of deli shoppers. Only 30% said their supermarket delis offered the system, while 40% who aren't offered such a system said they would like to have it.

Not surprisingly, convenience in various forms was a big topic.

Participants in some of the focus groups said they liked the convenience offered by hot or chilled prepared foods, but didn't rate them "very important." They also voiced some concern about food safety regarding them.

"They had doubts about whether prepared foods were held at the right temperature," Thomas said, suggesting again that a posted sign or a flier detailing what the company does to ensure food safety would go a long way toward making customers comfortable. On convenience, the Richmond focus group lauded Ukrop's Super Markets, Richmond, for its Meals for Two program, which offers a dinner of the day for two for $9.99. "I like it particularly that their newsletter tells you what the meal of the day will be for the whole month," said a focus group participant. Praise for Ukrop's chilled entrees and side dishes seemed to be tied to comfort about food safety. Focus group participants appreciated the preparation dates shown on product labels, because they knew the items were freshly prepared.

Lack of convenience was a sore point with some consumers.

A participant in a focus group in Minneapolis, for example, said the traffic pattern in a local supermarket's food court turned him off for good.

"I had to pay for things in three separate places. I had to pay eight cents for the butter for my bagel and I had to carry my coffee to the front and pay for it, then go back and sit down. I'll never go back there again." Full results of the Gallup study will be published in the fall and will be available from IDDA.