The American grocery market quickly became more competitive than ever. With that, independent grocers are searching for ways to set their store’s experience apart as they face off against national chains and even online giants like Amazon. Following these four tips can help small grocery stores thrive during this challenging time.
1. Target Customers with Personalized Messaging
If you’re a local, independent grocer, you have a built-in advantage. Because you are a business that serves a small community, you have the ability to choose product lines and messaging that appeal to your specific customer base. A few things to consider as you select your inventory are flavor preferences and shopping behaviors to create a personalized experience for your customers.
2. Rethink the Shopping Experience
The traditional grocery store experience is generally not one that appeals to Millennials. However, local stores can appeal to this generation by enhancing the shopping experience with amenities like coffee shops, free samples, or restaurants. Having unique experiences in addition to grocery shopping will help make their trip more enjoyable and lead to returning customers.
3. Consider a New Store Layout
Store layout is another way independent stores can differentiate themselves from chain grocers. Shoppers spend over 53 hours in the grocery store every year, making it essential for your store’s layout to maximize the shopping experience for in-person shoppers. Traditionally, the layout includes placing produce and meats along the perimeter and dry goods in the middle. This format works for stores in which shoppers buy all of their groceries for the week in one trip. However, you can adjust your store layout to call attention to the popular products that your store specializes in. This gives you an opportunity to make those products more convenient for customers.
4. Careful Inventory Management
As you know, if you’re not careful, this is where you can bleed money. Having excess product on hand that you can’t sell or that goes bad before you can put it out is simply a waste of capital. The simple answer to your product display challenges is the SpaceGrid II pusher systems from Retail Space Solutions. These rugged and dependable display solutions are designed to maximize facings with a grid-mounting system that efficiently utilizes shelf space.
These pusher display systems also cut down on labor costs by automatically conditioning shelves and keeping products front-faced at all times. Restocking is also more efficient with SpaceGrid II pusher display systems, which feature pull-out trays that make stocking and product rotation quick and easy.
Retail Space Solutions offers a complete line of pusher display systems designed for long-term performance in everything from frozen and refrigerated cases to center of the store displays.
To see more about these systems – including videos that show them in action – visit retailspacesolutions.com. You can also learn more by calling 800-279-5291.