Progressive Grocer - April 2009 - (Page 18)

Grocery List Consumer Insight The Lempert Report The Consumer as Commander of the Shopping Experience Shoppers are educating themselves, learning more about what they want to put in their shopping carts and paying attention to how much they’re spending. They are in control. Are you ready? By Phil Lempert The neighborhood supermarket was the social network 50 years ago; now, with less time and more demands, it has been replaced with our phones and laptops. he future is here, and although the economy may be in need of a stimulus package, shoppers today are better equipped to make intelligent purchasing decisions than ever before — and it’s just the beginning. As the economy rebounds, look for retailers to invest in new technologies that will allow shoppers to truly be in control when they shop the aisles. They’ll be taking advantage of much-awaited hand-held devices that, with a quick scan of the bar code, will access product information, reviews and even price comparisons. These units will become pervasive and, frankly, eliminate the need for most in-store customer service. Whether it is an iPhone, BlackBerry or other device, iShop will become one of the most used applications. But our shopping future is not all about technology. Technology is actually the tool allowing for faster, better and more personal communication. While the headlines are lamenting the demise of newspapers and network television, they are also celebrating “social networking.” Social networking is not new. In fact, the neighborhood supermarket was the social network 50 years ago; now, with less time and more demands, it has been replaced with our phones and laptops. What I personally laud about social networks is what they can do, vs. More ONLINE what they are doing today. For additional consumer insights, go to Think back to Progressivegrocer.com college days — 18 • Progressive Grocer • April 2009 T pledging a sorority or fraternity in particular. The first step to becoming a “brother” was for me to put together a pledge book, a three-by-five-inch spiral book that contained a page for each member of the fraternity. My task was to write each brother’s name and number on the top of the page, and then meet each one, interview him, write something meaningful about him and then have him read it and sign it. A pledge book was nothing more than a device that forced social networking and accelerated the “meeting curve.” And that’s exactly what’s going on now with Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn and hundreds of other networking tools. The Quest for Health path that they promise, it is likely that within our lifetime, most diseases will be able to be predicted with accuracy, and medical science will be able to “fix” the problem. Until then, we might just have to rely on going to a Web site and entering our health or food allergy conditions, which will then sync with our hand-held device. Each scan in-store will tell us if a product that we are considering meets our health, nutritional or other needs. Too much fat? A red “X” may appear. Allergy to wheat? An alternative product that does not contain that ingredient will be shown, along with its location on the shelves, and even a recipe or other information that can be read on the spot or e-mailed to us by the time we get home. Food and recipe recommendations have long been among the most powerful tools a brand could enjoy. Having a respected and admired neighbor suggest a new food product immediately puts it on one’s shopping list. Imagine the impact of a thousand peer review ratings — all with a scan of a bar code in a matter of seconds — helping you decide if you should put that product in your cart. It’s all here at the fingertips of today’s shoppers; being ready to meet their demands is up to you. Phil Lempert is one of the nation’s leading trend analysts and consumerologists. He is the food editor of NBC’s “Today” show, SupermarketGuru.com, FactsFiguresFuture.com, and XtremeRetail.com; the host of the syndicated radio show “Shopping Smart”; and an author. He can be reached at PLempert@SupermarketGuru.com. www.progressivegrocer.com Then there is the future of health. Now that stem cell research and the genome project are back on the A H E A D O F W H AT ’ S N E X T http://www.SupermarketGuru.com http://www.FactsFiguresFuture.com http://www.XtremeRetail.com http://www.Progressivegrocer.com http://www.progressivegrocer.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Progressive Grocer - April 2009

Progressive Grocer - April 2009
Contents
Nielsen's Shelf Stoppers/Spotlight: Salty Snacks/Variety Snack Packs
Market Snapshot: Cleveland, Ohio
Independents Report: How Jax Markets' MacAloney Triumphed Over Adversity
Lempert Report: Consumers in Command
Nielsen Report: Keeping Up With the Economy: Insights and Opportunities in Uncertain Times
Store of the Month: Close to Home
Sustainability Best Practices: It's Not Easy Being Green
Give Green, Get Green
Store of the Month: The Collection
Household Cleaners: Green Clean Is Growing
Meat Conference: Annual Meat Conference Rustles Up Retailers, Vendors to Denver
Produce: Organic Opportunities
Meat: Premium Possibilities
Reusable Bags: Paper, Plastic or Yours?
Technology: Priced to Sell
Equipment: A Flash of Green
What's Next: Editors' Picks for Innovative Products

Progressive Grocer - April 2009