Key Takeaways
A pandemic that threw the grocery sector into a tailspin has made it clear that price optimization is an imperative.
Retailers should strategically consider the role of private label in their overall product mix, and price accordingly, using optimization for speed and efficiency.
Keeping up with consumer demand for e-commerce services, and keeping ahead of competitors, will require more food retailers to invest in software-as-a-service solutions or other forms of optimization technology.
Few things are as important as price when it comes to grocery shopping — but how to optimize those prices is undergoing significant change in 2021, and retailers that don’t get on board could face problems sooner rather than later.
Thanks in large part to the pandemic — but also cheaper technology — price and promotional optimization efforts are moving from manual processes to automation, which is often powered by machine learning or artificial intelligence (AI).
Even when the pandemic subsides and food retail gets back to normal — or as normal as will be possible after months of supply-chain hiccups, pantry loading and e-commerce growth — merchants that intelligently embrace price and promotional optimization will have an edge when it comes to dealing with new consumer habits.
Cheryl Sullivan, president of San Mateo, Calif.-based pricing and promotional data and technology company DemandTec, sums up the situation and stakes better than most.
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Gurgaon's First and Most Successful Independent F&G Retailer
SINCE LAUNCHING ITS FIRST OUTLET IN THE YEAR 2000 IN DLF GURGAON AT A TIME WHEN MODERN TRADE FOOD AND GROCERY STORES WERE NOWHERE ON THE RETAIL HORIZONS OF THE MILLENNIUM CITY, NEEDS SUPERMARKET HAS GROWN TO ADD 26 LARGE, MEDIUM AND SMALL STORES TO ITS KITTY, CLOCKING AN ADMIRABLE RUN RATE ON VARIOUS PARAMETERS OF RETAILING EXCELLENCE ALONG THE WAY. PROGRESSIVE GROCER SPOKE TO NEEDS SUPERMARKET’S MD AJAY DHAR, AND CEO, ARUN KHATTAR, ABOUT HOW THE GROCERY CHAIN HAS BEEN ABLE TO HOLD ITS OWN AND CLOCK STEADY GROWTH IN A HYPER-COMPETITIVE MARKET DOTTED WITH BIG-BOX NATIONAL RETAILERS AND THE SECRET SAUCE BEHIND ITS SUCCESS RECIPE.
Paras Spices is innovating with unique products to meet new trends in the spices category
CATEGORY WATCH FOOD STAPLES
Brands and retailers collaborate to promote the growth of non-alcoholic beverages
SUPER-HERB INFUSED BEVERAGES THAT BRING THE POWER-PACKED GOODNESS OF SUPERFRUITS ARE TAKING THE MARKET BY STORM. THESE NONALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES CLAIM TO CONTAIN ZERO CALORIES, ZERO SUGAR, ZERO ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS, AND ZERO PRESERVATIVES AND ARE DESIGNED FOR TODAY’S MILLENNIAL-GEN WHO ARE SEEKING A HEALTHY DRINK WITH A TASTY TWIST.
Just Outside the Box
THE HUMBLE PARKING LOT HAS BECOME A DIFFERENT KIND OF RETAIL DESTINATION AND HUB OF COMMERCE.
Increased Focus on Health, Wellness, and Immunity-boosting Products
SALES OF PACKAGED FOODS HAVE SURGED SINCE THE ONSET OF THE PANDEMIC, AS HOME-BOUND CONSUMERS STOCKPILE FAMILIAR PRODUCTS THAT WON’T GO STALE QUICKLY. BREAKFAST CEREALS, INSTANT NOODLES, RICE AND COOKING FATS ARE AMONG THE PRODUCTS THAT HAVE SEEN THE STRONGEST GROWTH IN RECENT MONTHS.
Consumer focus on hygiene & nutrition boosts packaged paneer sales
THE DEMAND FOR CATEGORIES SUCH AS CHEESE AND PANEER HAS WITNESSED AN ALL-TIME NEW HIGH DURING THIS PANDEMIC THANKS TO THE VERSATILE NATURE OF THESE PRODUCTS. NOT ONLY IS PANEER DELICIOUS TO TASTE BUT DURING THE HEIGHT OF THE LOCKDOWN, THE INTERNET WAS TRENDING WITH UNIQUE, FUN AND EASY-TO-MAKE PANEER RECIPES.
How Hormel Became a Snack Company
ACQUISITIONS, ADJACENCIES AND INNOVATION DEFINE THE GLOBAL BRANDED FOOD COMPANY’S GROWTH STRATEGY
The New Normal for Snacks
THE POST-PANDEMIC CONSUMER WILL DEMAND BETTER-FOR-YOU MEAL SOLUTIONS MORE THAN EVER BEFORE.
The rise of superfoods and ways to mainstream them on retail shelves
WHAT ARE SUPERFOODS AND THEIR BENEFITS AND WHY THESE PRODUCTS ARE WITNESSING A HUGE SURGE IN DEMAND? WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES OF INFUSING THESE SUPERFOODS INTO OUR TRADITIONAL FOOD PRODUCTS, AND HOW CAN THEIR VISIBILITY AND AWARENESS BE RAMPED UP IN ON-GROUND SHELVES OF SUPERMARKETS AND RETAIL COUNTERS?
What is driving consumers to become more conscious of what they eat?
WITH CONSUMERS BECOMING MORE HEALTH-CONSCIOUS, RETAILERS HAVE ALSO STARTED MAKING SHIFTS IN THEIR OWN MERCHANDISING AND MARKETING TO KEEP UP WITH THE TREND.
