Gourmet News

Grocer Survey: Retailers Prioritize Unified Commerce Platforms

Published September 21, 2022

As shopper habits return somewhat to pre-pandemic patterns, several behaviors learned over the last two and a half years leave retailers looking to offer a more cohesive shopping experience, according to a new grocer survey, “State of the Industry: Unified Commerce in Food & Grocery Retail,” from Incisiv and Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions.

While this is evidenced by the priority they are placing on providing a more consolidated online and in-store experience, a majority of grocers (77%) still do not have a unified commerce platform in place and remain dissatisfied with their current ability to quickly deploy new experiences (e.g., curbside returns, online chat,). In addition, most retailers feel current systems lack the ability to offer shoppers a seamless omnichannel experience, according to the grocer survey.

“These findings show that the industry is ready to deliver experiences that truly unify the physical and digital, meeting customers where they are so they can drive their own journey to create memorable experiences for shoppers across channels,” said Fredrik Carlegren, VP Marketing & Communications, Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions.

“With investments in our ELERA commerce platform, we are driving the digital transformation of retail by seamlessly connecting retail touchpoints to deliver the personalized shopping experience that consumers expect, with the agility and scalability retailers demand, to accelerate the future of retail.”

Read more about the grocer survey in the November issue of Gourmet News. Subscribe now so you don’t miss anything!

Market Basket, Aldi, Winco Rank Highest in Grocery Index

Published September 21, 2022

Customer data science consultant dunnhumby released a special edition of its Retailer Preference Index, a comprehensive nationwide study of the $1 trillion U.S. grocery market, examining which grocers are winning customers as the economy falters. Market Basket bested Aldi and third-placed Winco as the top-ranked grocer during inflationary times.

Grocery Outlet and Save A Lot rounded out the top five due to their superior ability to save customers money at a time when this matters more than ever. The next five retailers in the top ten are Lidl (6), Dollar General (7), Food4LessFoodsCo (8), Family Dollar (9), and Military Commissaries (10). The dunnhumby RPI: Special Inflation Edition was released today as part of The dunnhumby Quarterly: a strategic market analysis of key retail themes, with the latest edition focused on consumers’ reaction to rising grocery prices.

While Amazon is better positioned than any retailer for long-term success in grocery, their value proposition for inflationary times is no better than the average grocer. As a result, Amazon dropped out of the first quartile as their web traffic declined -6.5% so far this year. H-E-B, the top-ranked eCommerce retailer in the dunnhumby eCommerce RPI, finished 12^th.

“Market Basket has shown itself to be the best performing retailer in these times of economic uncertainty, by being the best in the country at saving customers money while simultaneously building stronger emotional connections with their shoppers and thereby increasing their shopper visits faster than most other retailers,” said Grant Steadman, president, North America, for dunnhumby. “Retailers who are focusing their customer value proposition on saving customers money are best positioned to meet the challenges of this prolonged period of inflation and economic uncertainty.”

For more information on this, read the November issue of Gourmet News. Subscribe now so you don’t miss out!

Franzia Wines, BARK Deliver ‘Boos’ This Halloween

Published September 21, 2022

Franzia Wines and BARK have teamed up to create a limited-time Franzia Halloween costumes: “BARK Red Blend” dog costume — named after fan favorite Franzia wine, Dark Red Blend — and Franzia dog toy inspired by the iconic boxed wine. Humans also looking to get in on the boos-filled fun can opt for the adult-sized Franzia Chardonnay or Cabernet Sauvignon wine box costume to complement their pups. Each adult-sized costume comes with an internal bag that straps around your waist allowing a Franzia wine pouch (not included with the costume) to fit perfectly for easy pouring and a cupholder designed to hold a stack of cups for your Franz.

“Franzia is all about bonding with friends – whom we affectionately call ’Franz’ – over a box of wine,” said Katie Hoefs, brand manager, The Wine Group. “Our Halloween costumes have been a fan-favorite for years, so it only made sense to extend the fun to our favorite furry Franz with a four-legged costume and BarkBoxed Wine Toy.”

The “BARK Red Blend” dog costume, BarkBoxed Wine Toy, and Franzia adult-sized wine box costume will be available on the Franzia Wines and BARKShop for purchase now.

Franzia “BARK Red Blend” Dog Costume (MSRP: $20)
The perfect match for our Human Franzia Halloween Costume! This Franzia “BARK Red Blend” costume has plush, pillow-like sides and adjustable Velcro straps to ensure your furry Franz are comfortable while looking adorable in their favorite boxed wine costume. Sizing available in S, M, or L. Available on barkshop.com and shop.franzia.com.

Franzia “Cabernet Slobbernon” BarkBoxed Wine Dog Toy (MSRP: $15)
Treat your pup to this Franzia wine box toy for a strong pour of fun at the dog park. This multi-part toy includes an outer box, a grunt squeaker inside and a t-shirt rope. Available on barkshop.com and shop.franzia.com.

Franzia Wine Box Costume: (MSRP: $40)
Live your best life this Halloween when you dress up as a Franzia box! Featuring our Cabernet Sauvignon or Chardonnay, these costumes are fully functional with an internal bag that straps around your waist and allows a Franzia wine pouch to fit perfectly for easy pouring. PLUS, this year there is an added cup holder that fits a stack of multiple cups for you to distribute and share Franzia with your Franz! (Cups not included.) Available at shop.franzia.com.

Franzia has over 100 years of winemaking history. The winery was founded by Teresa Franzia, who took out a loan to start Franzia Brothers Wine Company in 1930. In 1985, Franzia became the first wine brand in America to package its wine in a box. Today Franzia continues to strive to uphold Teresa’s legacy of quality, freshness, and value, winning over 150 awards from competitions and reviewers. The brand is celebrating its 26th year as the World’s Most Popular Wine by sales volume. For more information on Franzia, visit www.Franzia.com, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

BARK is the world’s most dog-centric company, devoted to making dogs happy with the best products, services and content. BARK’s dog-obsessed team applies its unique, data-driven understanding of what makes each dog special to design playstyle-specific toys, wildly satisfying treats, great food for your dog’s breed, effective and easy to use dental care, and dog-first experiences that foster the health and happiness of dogs everywhere. Founded in 2012, BARK loyally serves dogs nationwide with themed toys and treats subscriptions, BarkBox and BARK Super Chewer; custom product collections through its retail partner network, including Target and Amazon; its high-quality, nutritious meals made for your breed with BARK Food; and products that meet dogs’ dental needs with BARK Bright. At BARK, we want to make dogs as happy as they make us because dogs and humans are better together. Sniff around at bark.co for more information.

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