That’s the recommendation from Bridgethorne, the customer, category management and shopper marketing specialist, after the Office for National Statistics revealed that food sales fell 4.1% in April, the biggest fall since May 2011. Commentators speculated that poor weather had hit spring and summer-specific products particularly hard.
The news follows on from claims made in the recent Channel 4 programme Human Swarm, which set out to show how businesses can better manage risks and opportunities which are influenced by the weather and our collective behaviour.
The programme showed the extent to which weather affects our behaviour: when it gets colder, our appetite increases and our buying habits change. For example, the programme showed how, when it’s cold, sales of porridge soar, citing that Quaker Oats sell 200% more than normal, or 20 million packets each week.
The documentary showed how, at Morrisons’ distribution centre in Yorkshire, the retailer’s ordering system uses five years’ sales and weather data to predict what we will want to eat, and automatically selects the right products to send to its stores.
“One thing we have learnt since we entered recession in 2008 is the importance of spreading risk and ensuring, as far as possible, that ranges take into account as far as changing shopper behaviour,” said Bridgethorne director John Nevens. “This means gaining the insights you need from the way we behave as shoppers and investing that in the development of your range and in the way you interact with the retailer and the shopper.
“It is important that suppliers develop a compelling proposition for the trade, objectively aligning the insights and opportunities identified with the ‘product’ intended for launch.
“The key is to transform what may appear to be an ephemeral issue into an objective category story, where you can articulate benefits to the shopper and the retailer, such that the trade sees clear value in working with you to bring the product to market.”
This process, Nevens adds, helps aid early decision making before major launch investment, lowers business risk and exposure, helps ease the internal decision making process and increases the chances of success.
Bridgethorne offers a range of services in category management, shopper marketing and national account management that are designed to provide positive returns for its clients.
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