Does your grocery business have a sustainability plan? Is it taking steps to protect and preserve the environment and communicating this commitment to customers? These are two very important questions.
That’s because consumers are increasingly looking to do business with companies that are making significant and quantifiable changes to support the Earth and its natural resources. They are not only demanding that the manufacturers of the food they consume make meaningful sustainability changes but the grocery stores that sell the food as well.
In a new Retail Insight study, more than three-quarters of 1,000+ U.S. adults surveyed said they have tried to be more sustainable consumers in the past year. (The share rises to as high as 88% of those ages 25- to 34!) But perhaps the most important statistic is this: 55% of the adults surveyed said they would be more loyal to a grocer if they perceived the business to be eco-friendly. It’s one of many surveys that suggest consumers nationwide, of all ages and incomes, are interested in sustainability and increasingly will do more of their shopping at retailers that they feel are committed to it as well.
Consumers are “actively choosing brands that are genuinely committed to reducing their environmental impact on the planet,” said Paul Boyle, CEO of Retail Insight. “And this isn’t just impacting sales, it’s redefining customer loyalty.”
What are consumers most interested in grocers doing? Food waste seems to be the overwhelming top priority among shoppers. Nearly 70% percent of those surveyed by Retail Insight said they want stores to focus more on reducing food waste and that stores aren’t doing enough in that area. Food packaging — a concern for both manufacturers and food retailers — is another top issue. Shoppers also want to see the stores they shop at reduce their carbon footprint by shortening food miles — the journey food takes from where it’s grown to store shelves. Those surveyed said that stores too often promote ‘obvious’ sustainability efforts, such as recycling.
In terms of food waste, it’s estimated that grocery stores discard more than 43 billion pounds of food annually. It’s bad for the Earth. It’s bad for your grocery business. And with consumers preferring to do business with grocers committed to addressing the issue, it’s time to make some changes.
We have an array of solutions to help your store in the critical area of sustainability. Our GOT Shrink, LogSafe, and Chowbotics Sally the Robot programs, for example, can help reduce food waste/shrink. Our Pivotal Tools solution can help reduce paper waste and food waste/shrink.
Trying to cut down on paper waste? Our solutions are broad and cost-effective. Meat Grind Logs can help reduce the amount of paper your store is using. On the customer side, digital coupons and AppCard & Inmar app-based coupon solutions can help your customers use less paper as well. E-mail and digital marketing can further reduce your store’s use of paper.
In terms of overall energy consumption, we have a wide variety of solutions — large and small — to help your store become more eco-friendly. They include energy-efficient LED lighting, refrigeration solutions, and more. Whether you’re interested in minor upgrades or you want to make major changes, we can help.
The right shelf management, execution, analytics, market intelligence, operations tools and more can all work together to help your store(s) curb food waste, make your store’s operations more efficient, sustainable and profitable. Explore all of what we have to offer—visit our website at Services.UNFI.com