Help shoppers fulfill their New Year’s resolutions

An Internet survey by the New York office of market research firm YouGov reveals that the top New Year’s resolutions of American consumers are as follows:

• Eat better.
• Exercise more.
• Spend less money.

All three of these goals for 2018 tied for first place, chosen by 37 percent of the respondents. Surprisingly, resolutions such as “Get a new job” and “Cut down on cigarettes or alcohol” ranked much lower on the list, selected by 14 percent and 9 percent of survey participants, respectively.

With so many consumers vowing to make better dietary choices and stick to tighter budgets, the time is ripe for grocery retailers to really play up both the health-related and value aspects of their private brands via advertising and social media and through merchandising and signage in the store.

Be sure to also promote your registered dietitian nutritionists, who can help customers shop for their particular dietary needs while also championing store brands. In addition, make sure to have recipe cards for healthful dishes prominently displayed, with your private brands noted in the recipes wherever feasible.

If you haven’t developed store brand meal kits yet, pursue this opportunity while consumers are gung-ho about adopting better-for-you lifestyles.

Retailers with strong fresh departments have a health halo that extends to the rest of the store. But don’t forget to tout nutritious impulse items in the checkout area, as West Sacramento, Calif.-based Raley’s does at its cash registers. This is where you can place your single-serve store brand granola bars, packets of nuts and trail mix, and similar items. What’s more, cooler cases at checkout can include store brand milk, juice and bottled water.

Though cross-merchandising is critical, displaying store brands next to national brands on the shelf accentuates the value proposition of your own brands.

Grocery retailers can also leverage consumers’ commitment to exercise more by inviting local health clubs and gyms to set up tabletop exhibits and interact with customers on the store perimeter. Also, consider carrying small hand weights, yoga mats, jump ropes and other exercise items in your health section or the over-the-counter section of your pharmacy.

Even if many consumers abandon their New Year’s resolutions a few months into the year, grocery retailers that start 2018 off with a proactive health and fitness message will go a long way toward establishing good will with their customers. 

Schierhorn, the managing editor of Store Brands, can be reached at [email protected].