CASE SETUP SEEN HEATING MEAT SALES

CHRIS YTUARTE

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- New case-management strategies in the meat department can significantly boost sales and profits when properly implemented and maintained within stores, said industry veterans who are working with a program developed by the National Pork Producers Council. The pair presented findings from a retail-implementation project during the industry's annual Meat Marketing Conference, here.

Mark Greenberg, vice president of meat for Wakefern Food Corp., Elizabeth, N.J., said the wholesale cooperative began using the NPPC's Integrated Meat Case program in member ShopRite stores with better-than-expected results.

"The integrated program is the first case-management setup that addressed how our shoppers approached the meat aisle, making it a much more natural process," he said. John Hagerla, vice president of marketing (at the time) for the Des Moines, Iowa-based NPPC, added that the plan was developed to encompass all meats, not just pork. He said there is growing evidence linking the arrangement of the meat case with shopper visits, a relationship long suspected by retailers, but difficult to document.

"The fact is that 79% of consumers shop a store simply for the meat [the store has]," said Hagerla. "So case management is crucial for both meat sales and for keeping the rest of the store populated with consumers."

Hagerla added that retailers can use new technology-derived data to successfully manage their meat cases and boost profits, by properly analyzing front-end scans and related consumer research. The information can then be plugged into the meat-case program to develop a personalized selling strategy specific to each store's customer base.

The NPPC's Integrated Meat Case Program, which Wakefern implemented, relies on the idea that consumers prefer total-case integration and ancillary support programs that cater to the shopper's mentality rather than to that of a butcher or professional cook, which some cases tend to do [see "Puzzling Cases," SN, Feb. 21, 2000]. The in-store setup organizes the meat according to species, which are then subdivided into segments, and then, again, according to specific cuts. The last step accounts for size and package quantity.

"Our shoppers can come into the [meat] department cold, having no idea what they want, and easily decide by following the logical arrangement," said Greenberg. "Or, they come in with one aspect in mind -- maybe what size they need, or what cut they want -- and can progress down the line from there, using the program's setup. It just makes it very convenient, and practically leads the shopper in the right direction all by itself."

The consumer thought process became the recurring theme in development of the Integrated Meat Case Program, according to Hagerla. He said shoppers most often think first about what species of meat they want to purchase before choosing a specific cut. Then, they decide on the appropriate size or quantity. The NPPC's integrated case is set up as a recreation of that pattern from point A to B, and encourages consumers to "keep their thought process flowing throughout the selection process" and "stay focused on their needs," he said.

Hagerla explained how a well-appointed meat case, using the Integrated Meat Case Program, should look in order to gain the best results, an ideal that was illustrated by Greenberg's description of ShopRite's use of the system.

"We tried to follow the integrated system to a T, whenever possible, in the configuration of our case, and it proved to be the best policy," he said.

The archetypical upright integrated meat case is set up from left to right, "just as a shopper would read a circular," said Hagerla. It should include eight categories: beef, ground meats, sausage, pork, "Quick & Easy" value-added items, lamb and veal, smoked meats, and poultry. Vertical rows of each product lie beneath the appropriate subcategory. With coffin cases, each species name should be repeated along with its subcategory down the length of the case, due to the display's horizontal nature.

Greenberg added that he replicated the visual setup of the case in all circulars, as precisely as possible, and that it was a favorite component of the new plan, as reported by regular shoppers, who said they found it very convenient to browse before even entering the store.

"They feel as if they already know what they were going to find on the shelves," said Greenberg.

And, the program does not end there, noted Hagerla. The initiative includes on-pack labels to further assist consumers with cooking times and simple recipes. It's another aspect of the program that Greenberg hailed as a boost to consumer confidence in his department [see "Pork Producers Study: Recipe Labels Increase Sales," SN, Sept. 27, 1999].

"The labels are easily attainable through NPPC and help to keep shoppers aware of the possibilities that come with each selection, as far as preparation and proper handling," said Greenberg. "A lot of our customers have been attracted to a meat based solely on the recommended recipe on the label, or related factors, like the simplicity and the convenience of the preparation."