With the rise of fresh and chilled food, there is a growing appetite for dairy shoppers in convenience, meaning retailers must ensure they have a sufficient range of weekly shop products, such as butter and speads.
If you’ve recently expanded your chilled offering on the back of increased demand you’ll have come to realise that the category is huge, with a dizzying array of products available. The key, as ever, is knowing what ones to put on shelf. Stuart Ibberson, Business Unit Director at Arla Foods says that over the last couple of years there has been a rise in consumers moving towards more natural products and away from those packed full of additives. He says: “More consumers are now following an ‘everything in moderation’ approach and are taking a more holistic view on health. As a result, many consumers are now switching away from these products into the more natural and taste-led sectors such as Spreadables and Block butter because they trust these products more and know they can deliver a quality product.”
Ibberson says that the return to cooking from scratch and home baking has also seen an increasing demand. He adds: “Good quality butters and spreads are essential ingredients for scratch cooking and therefore are must-stock items for retailers. Top up or impulse purchases of butters and spreads in convenience and independent stores are often down to forgotten baking ingredients so it’s important for retailers to ensure they stock up accordingly.”
Watching the sale grow
So, that’s the theory behind the increasing demand, but how do retailer turn that into sales. “Simply stocking butter and spread ranges that respond to these above trends such as Anchor and Lurpak will instantly help retailers grow their sales,” says Ibberson. “Ensure that your staff are well informed on the overall category and can recommend the right ranges for individual customers. Education is key and taking time to share product knowledge with customers will allow them to make more informed choices on which products to buy, while also showing that you’re giving them the time and attention they need and deserve.”
Educating consumers is an additional sales tool, says Ibberson, adding: “We also advise retailers to ensure their product range covers all need states for their customers such as Olive Spreads, Cooking and Baking products such as Block butter, as well as Spreadables to make them a one-stop-shop for consumers and avoid them shopping elsewhere. Needless to say, availability is also key, if a product is not in stock then it’s likely customers will go elsewhere to find it.”
