It?s more challenging to market meat in the grocery business. Ed Steinmetz, president of meat and seafood for Giant Eagle, says grocery retailers benefit from marketing meat well.
?If the customer has meat in the cart, it generates a lot more sales over a year. The average basket – when customers have meat in it – is high. When it has beef in it, it?s even higher yet,? Steinmetz.
Steinmetz claims shoppers often add ingredients consumed with meat to their cart upon purchasing meat products.
?You can?t come in and only buy hamburger. You have to buy other items in the store. The meat department serves as a traffic builder and a basket builder,? Steinmetz said. ?If they buy meat, they have to buy condiments, buns, produce and everything else around that item.?
Retailers often use meat cases to attract shoppers. Giant Eagle, in particular, focuses on the highest quality beef and then adding value.
?If you cut meat in the store fresh versus coming in packaged. If you grind meat fresh first versus it coming in packaged. There?s a lot of ways you can differentiate yourself outside of price in the meat department. A can of Campbell?s soup is the same in every store,? Steinmetz said. ? With meat, we have an opportunity to differentiate ourselves, and therefore, the whole store.?
Pricing decisions on canned goods do not fluctuate as often as beef and other proteins. Weather, seasonality, as well as other supply and demand factors impact contracts and what specials stores are able to run.
?Front page of the ad, in the feature, is really designed to drive traffic into the store. Meat and produce are big customer drivers. In our particular store, we cut beef and pork at the store. There points of difference, so we use them to drive traffic and sales,? Steinmetz said.
Well-trained staff who place an emphasis on customer service can also help seal the meat deal.
