There’s a niche in the food marketing industry that has been gaining steady ground over the last several years. While many food companies strive to line the shelves of as many stores as possible, there is another level of retailer to get your products to steal the shelf spotlight: premium grocers.

Premium grocers such as Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, The Fresh Market and Sprouts are thriving in an otherwise flat grocer market. According to Super Market News, premium grocers are growing at 15 percent per year. They’re gaining serious ground with consumers, and there’s a big reason why.

Premium Grocers Create The Ultimate Customer Experience

Premium grocers have successfully tapped into an ultimate and unique customer experience for their shoppers. They cater to those who are looking for premium food product selections, and those shoppers are willing to pay a higher price tag to find the food that meets their needs.

These major grocers have pinpointed their target shopper, and therefore have developed a unique shopping experience that you won’t find anywhere else.  (Image Source: 365 Barrington.com. photographer: Julie Linnekin)

For example, shoppers can enjoy a bit of wine tasting and piano playing as they stroll the store aisles. If that’s not enough, sushi and espresso bars are right around the corner at several of these premium grocery stores.

When shoppers are tired of the same old same old at their traditional grocery store, an entirely new selection and experience.

The Shift in Food Marketing

While your marketing strategy plan entirely depends on your audience, there is one element that is undoubtedly shifting in the world of food marketing. Consumers are no longer just looking for food products to fill their pantries—they are looking for brands that provide an experience while offering top quality products.

The food marketing ‘experience’ era is a tough act to follow, but creating that unique experience is key to dominating your market. Creating consumer experiences helps brands connect with shoppers on an emotional level, which is one of the methods to keeping consumers coming back for more.

Following in The Footsteps of Premium Grocers

We know that experience is the new trend for marketing to consumers, but how can marketers pick up the pace for such a demanding customer base? There are several angles of approach for your marketing strategy, but you have to hit the right notes if you expect to strike gold with your customers.

Start re-evaluating your marketing strategy by following the footsteps of premium grocers. What are they doing to serve their shoppers? What are the steps they are taking to ensure shoppers leave with the ultimate grocery shopping experience?

We’re outlining two methods for you to follow, which will help your customers experience your brand and product like never before—and it all starts with your packaging selection.

Future Marketing Method #1: Consider Quality

Quality is a characteristic of nearly any marketing strategy. We’ve emphasized before that quality product is critical to keeping customers, but some companies cut corners with quality food packaging.

When you’re strategizing to create the ultimate customer experience with your brand, food packaging must become top priority.

There are several reasons why quality food packaging matters to your customers. First, food marketing with quality packaging pulls your overall company image together. It’s like the bow on top of your food product. You wouldn’t wrap a block of gold in tin foil, would you?

In your world, your food product is worth more than gold. Store it in flexible retail packaging that keeps your product safe while extending shelf life. Do your research on optimal storage conditions for your food product, which will help you select the correct type of retail packaging.

Future Marketing Method #2: Consider Customer Experience

If you think you can’t create a unique customer experience with your food packaging, think again. In order to create an experience that your customer won’t forget, you must think outside the box.

Or better yet, just ditch the box.

Customer experience boils down to convenience and unique presentation. You can get the best of both worlds by incorporating flexible packaging for your food products.

From a convenience angle, flexible retail packaging makes your customers’ lives easier with streamlined features. Re-sealable zippers help keep products fresh, while making your food products easily transportable for customers who are always on the go.

Unique presentation can be slightly harder to accomplish, but it’s much easier when you switch to flexible packaging. For example, switching from a standard cereal box to a quality stand up bag will instantly transform your overall look and feel.

Furthermore, adding unique design elements to your flexible retail packaging can give your presentation a boost. We’ve covered the psychological impact of color in previous blog posts, and you can use those guides to incorporate a new color scheme to help convince customers to pick up your product.

And as always, the experts in our art department are always happy to assist clients who are looking to re-brand and re-strategize their product packaging for the future.

We don’t have a crystal ball, and we can’t always pinpoint what the future of food packaging will bring. But we’ve been in this industry for quite some time, and we know that brands must always strive to deliver better packaging paired with top-notch performance every step of the way.

And while you make your way to the store shelves of premium grocery outlets, your brand will remain forward thinking for the future with a solid marketing strategy.