Jan 21, 2013

Results of Comprehensive Food Culture Study Offer New Growth Opportunities for Retailers, Manufacturers and Brands

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., (January 21, 2013) – Daymon Worldwide CEO Carla Cooper and Hartman Group founder Harvey Hartman presented the findings of a comprehensive food culture study revealing a new “Eating Culture” and its implications for food retailing at Food Marketing Institute’s (FMI) Midwinter Executive Conference, Monday, Jan. 21.

The study, “Reframing Retail Through The Lens of Changing Food Culture,” combines insights from qualitative and quantitative research methods conducted from 2010-2012, plus targeted ethnographic interviews in the major urban markets of Seattle, Detroit and Dallas, to inform the surveys and capture in-person, in-home and at-store behavior.

According to Cooper, the results of the study demonstrate a “seismic” shift in the ways consumers are interacting with food, including evolving consumer shopping behavior and brand preferences. “An eating culture is inherently more inclusive than a cooking culture.  Everyone is an eater, so everyone can participate,” says Cooper.  “As a result, we as an industry need to reconsider our consumers and customers…not as cooks, not as shoppers…but as eaters.  Equally as important will be to take the next step and adjust business strategies to align with consumer expectations and desires.  We all have a role to play in bringing the implications to life for the benefit of our organizations and our customers.”

The study details how consumer food experience has outgrown the family kitchen, resulting in less cooking, more frequent shopping trips and a desire for food experimentation and exploration. “The research reveals significant changes in eating patterns and how they impact shopping for food,” says Hartman.  “Food is now everywhere, and our routine engagement with it is more direct and personal than ever before.”

The study launch was initially announced at the 2012 FMI meeting in Dallas.  Key areas of examination include:  the power of the retail experience, quantifying the most influential aspects of the retail experience; consumer orientation to brands, quantifying the degree to which consumers become habituated to certain brands versus choose different brands for categories they routinely shop; and the significance of occasions in fragmenting traditional weekly shopping trips into more frequent visits oriented to eating occasions.

FMI President and CEO Leslie G. Sarasin said, “We worked with FMI members, Daymon Worldwide and Hartman Group, to bring you this new perspective on the shopper. The resulting picture translates customers’ food preferences into retailer opportunities that curate personalized shopping experiences.”

For more information about the study, contact your account representative at Daymon Worldwide or Hartman Group.


Media contacts: 
For Daymon Worldwide: 
Carolyn Knott, PR Director
Cknott@daymon.com
P: 203-352-7859

For The Hartman Group, Inc.:
Blaine Becker
Sr. Director, Marketing & Business Relations 
425.452.0818, ext. 124 
blaine@hartman-group.com


For Food Marketing Institute:
Heather Garlich
Director, Media & Public Relations
202-220-0616
hgarlich@fmi.org


About Daymon Worldwide: 
Daymon Worldwide is the only full-service, global retail branding and sourcing partner. Daymon works directly with the world’s leading suppliers and retailers to drive sales and profitable growth through customized brand-building and sourcing solutions. The company’s expertise includes branding & strategy, insights & measurement, private brand development, and shopper marketing. Founded in 1970, today Daymon has 22,000 associates worldwide, with offices in more than 25 countries on six continents.   For more information, please visit www.daymon.com.


About Hartman Group:
The Hartman Group is a leading provider of global research on consumer culture, behaviors, trends and demand and a leading advisor on market strategy to the world's best-known brands. Through a unique suite of integrated custom, primary research capabilities, market analytics and business strategy services, The Hartman Group uncovers opportunity spaces and avenues for growth for clients across the consumer-driven marketplace. 
The Hartman Group is internationally recognized for breakthrough perspectives on emerging and evolving consumer behaviors in health and wellness, sustainability, and food culture. Since its foundation by Harvey Hartman in 1989, The Hartman Group has helped clients apply the knowledge of the "why behind the buy" to brand development, innovation, categories, retail, marketing, experience, and more.  Visit our website at www.hartman-group.com.


About FMI:  
Food Marketing Institute (FMI) conducts programs in public affairs, food safety, research, education and industry relations on behalf of its nearly 1,250 food retail and wholesale member companies in the United States and around the world. FMI’s U.S. members operate more than 25,000 retail food stores and almost 22,000 pharmacies with a combined annual sales volume of nearly $650 billion. FMI’s retail membership is composed of large multi-store chains, regional firms and independent operators. Its international membership includes 126 companies from more than 65 countries. FMI’s nearly 330 associate members include the supplier partners of its retail and wholesale members.  Visit our website at www.fmi.org.

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