MADISON -- More people visit the deli for lunch than for dinner, according to Foodservice Opportunities from the International Dairy-Deli-Bakery Association (IDDBA). Common sense would suggest that people are more likely to shop at the supermarket after work, at an hour closer to dinner than lunch. So would we not expect supermarket delis to serve more dinners than lunches? That the opposite is true suggests an unrealized opportunity during the dinner daypart.
Foodservice Opportunities identifies new ways to build the customer base, such as targeting [image-nocss] after-work shoppers with appealing dinner choices.
People who shop frequently at traditional supermarkets buy meals at the deli only a little more often than everyone else. So who are the heavy deli users? They are people who make frequent visits to specialty grocery stores, club stores and sitdown restaurants. Consumers who visit specialty grocery stores such as Whole Foods at least twice per week report, on average, buying breakfast, lunch and dinner approximately four times as often as the general public. And, the increases are similar for frequent visitors of club stores and sitdown restaurants, as well.
While the cause of this phenomenon may be attributed to a relative aversion to cooking at home, greater exposure to desirable deli items or other factors, the key point is that those who buy meals most often from supermarket delis are also those who have the greatest exposure to foodservice and specialty-market products. So it is important for deli operators to offer choices that meet these more-developed tastes, said IDDBA.
When asked what would make them more likely to purchase from supermarket delis/hot food stations, more than 50% of consumers said a greater variety of foods. By offering a wider selection of convenient, interesting, and dinner appropriate items, supermarket delis could target after work shoppers, a group with high potential for purchasing their dinner at the deli.
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