Feb 24, 2016

By: Sue Wilkinson, Senior Director, Information Service & Research, Food Marketing Institute 
Power of Meat 2016

The meat department is one of the most important categories for many food retailers. A good meat department can help a store differentiate itself from the competition, and can be a significant driver of sales and foot traffic. The 2016 Power of Meat report produced by the Food Marketing Institute (FMI) and North American Meat Institute (NAMI) is chock-full of data food retailers and suppliers can use to understand consumer shopping trends. 

Highlights from this year’s report include:

  • Promotions are a key element to solidifying sales among primary shoppers and attracting patrons of other channels. Forty-seven percent of shoppers decide on the meat/poultry purchase before they reach the supermarket.
  • Connecting with Millennials is crucial for traditional formats to retain the meat dollar. This group has a higher propensity to occasionally shop alternative channels like farmers’ markets and online.
  • Price per pound, along with total package price, dominates the purchase decision tree.
  • A growing consumer desire for transparency in the product and the production process is driving sales gains.
  • Six in 10 shoppers changed their meat/poultry purchases over 2015 by spending more, less or differently.
  • Convenience meat/poultry items are growing, but the category needs careful consideration of program investments at the store level.
  • Available, friendly, and knowledgeable associates in the meat department can be a big differentiator for food retailers.
  • The meat case provides everyday convenience for the majority of purchases – this is where 70 percent of meat/poultry purchases are made.
  • Shoppers’ suggestions for improving the meat department can be a key factor to optimizing meat department sales.

More detail on these findings can be found in the 2016 Power of Meat report.