Meeting Customer Needs Drove SEG’s Know & Love Development
The recent debut of Southeastern Grocers’ (SEG) Know & Love private label assortment of “clean products” is the latest endeavor by a retailer to develop an own brand product line that meets the needs of shoppers while also offering a selection of products that offer a high perceived value.
As previously reported by Store Brands, the initial selection includes food and beverage products along with household items made free of nearly 100 ingredients, such as certified color additives, partially hydrogenated oils, high fructose corn syrup and sweeteners such as aspartame, saccharin and sucralose.
SEG officials said products in the new line are made with ingredients shoppers “know” and will “love.” It also builds on the grocer’s commitment to provide customers with money saving quality products and services.
In an interview with Store Brands, Brooke Rice, senior director of Own Brands with SEG, spoke about the effort to develop the new line and the need for the grocer to bring to market products based on the demands of its shoppers.
STORE BRANDS: What was the inspiration behind the development of Know & Love?
BROOKE RICE: Keeping with our commitment to provide quality products and value for our customers, Know & Love was born out of our desire to offer our customers clean products, with quality ingredients for a great price. Our goal was to create a brand that could be as simple, yet as bold as the ingredients within. When exploring this idea, we noticed that historically, these products come packaged in muted colors with a higher price tag, creating an unexciting shopping experience. Know & Love is designed to offer delicious and affordable clean label products with an added fun pop of color to your shopping cart.
SB: How long was the development process for the new line of products?
BR: The entire development process for Know & Love took approximately two and a half years. The process began in late 2021 with the initiation of the strategy and research. In 2022, we focused on the brand concept and rigorously tested it for many months to ensure it exceeded our benchmarks for excellence. Now, we are excited to begin rolling out hundreds of items over the course of the year to allow customers a chance to discover new products they love in the expanded selection.
SB: Is SEG seeing growing demand from shoppers for clean-label products?
BR: Yes. Our customers' ever-increasing interest in clean-label products is what spurred our initial research into the concept that led us to Know & Love. At SEG, we are always listening to our customers and using their feedback as a constant guide for every decision we make. Now, we are proud to launch this new product line of affordable, clean label products with our Know & Love Goodness Guarantee.
SB: There was mention in the press release that Naturally Better and SE Grocers products that meet clean-label standards will transition over to Know and Love. Will Naturally Better and SE Grocers remain as brands?
BR: Our team is closely evaluating items in our existing product lines to identify those that meet our clean label standards for Know & Love. Products that meet these standards will be transitioned over to Know & Love to further expand the category. The Naturally Better product line will eventually be retired, with most products transitioning over to Know & Love and the remaining items will join the SE Grocers product line.
SB: What will happen to those products that don’t meet the standards for Know and Love?
BR: Items that do not fall under the clean label Know & Love assortment will remain in the SE Grocers line to continue offering a wide selection of affordable, everyday products that our customers want. While this line will retain its vital place in our brand hierarchy, we expect Know & Love to emerge as the cornerstone of our store brands.
SB: What was the inspiration behind the new packaging design for Know and Love?
BR: Our new packaging is vibrant and colorful because we believe that eating clean doesn’t have to be boring. We wanted our packaging to reflect the excitement of a new product line while also mirroring the simplicity and quality of its products. The vibrant colors and minimalistic design bring a fresh, modern feel that answers the demand for a more accessible way to eat clean. The bright and eye-catching packaging is also a result of our team leveraging neuroscience and neuromarketing techniques to encourage shoppers to learn more about the innovative products.
SB: In addition to the color codes being used, does the packaging offer any unique sustainability benefits?
BR: SEG is committed to increasing sustainability for our Own Brand packaging across the board. We began labeling products with easy-to-understand recycling instructions in partnership with How2Recycle. We continue to work together with supplier partners and stakeholders to achieve industry-established sustainable product and packaging goals.
SB: How is the new line of products being promoted to consumers?
BR: We are using our team’s vast experience with promoting our SE Grocers and Naturally Better lines to ensure the success of the new Know & Love line. Promoting this line will focus on maintaining the sense of trust, reliability and affordability as well as helping customers discover new favorites as they explore the exciting products that roll out over the course of this year.