Why traditional grocery stores can’t cut the mustard (or the pastrami)
Stop & Shop might be cooked. King Kullen could be dethroned. Publix may take a licking. That is if they and every other traditional supermarket chain don’t look into some major re-invention strategies. Consumers are demanding more from their grocery shopping experience than stale Muzak and employees who offer up freeze-dried smiles. To put it more bluntly, traditional grocery stores are fast becoming commodities, which in the world of brands means, “Sorry Charlie.” To win in any category, even a category as basic as the weekly groceries, you’ve got to stand for something compellingly different, and you’ve got to make good on your promise. When it comes to filling shopping carts these days, you can’t brand down the middle. You’ve got to come up with something consumers haven’t seen before and make sure it’s something they want. What do they want? Whole Foods recognizes it’s wholesome and organic. Fresh Direct, convenience. Wal-mart and Costco have proven the value of value. And Stew Leonard’s, for those of you lucky enough to have experienced this chain, looks at shopping as entertainment (if you call dancing cows entertainment). Consumers aren’t necessarily fickle, but they are inundated with brands. (Brand Attention Deficit Disorder wouldn’t be too extreme a description.) While your business strategy might be selling groceries, you’ve got to get people in the door with a unique brand strategy to get carts (full carts) rolling in the aisles.