By: Kelli Windsor, Senior Director, Digital Communications, FMI
My daughter loves fish sticks. She's liked them since she was two years old and still eats them often. I'm not sure where her preference for fish sticks over chicken nuggets came from, but she's committed and that's just fine.
Her admiration for fish sticks puts our family in the same bucket as 38% of shoppers who consume frozen foods every day or every few days. I know what you're thinking—that's a lot of fish sticks—but our dedication to frozen foods goes beyond just fish sticks. For us, frozen foods meet the definition of value that starts with price and quality, but extends to convenience, relevance, entertainment, health and well-being. Based on findings from Power of Frozen at Retail 2023, here are ways frozen foods are meeting shoppers' new definition of value.
Frozen Foods Convenience
Like many others, we are a busy family juggling a lot. Without a family calendar, it's tough to know what day it is or who is where. The convenience frozen foods offer our household cannot be overstated. We'll often have half of a meal ready and rely on a frozen food item, like frozen vegetables, to round it out.
Frozen Foods Experience
Have you ever tried frozen mussels? Did you know there is new packaging that can make a frozen grilled cheese sandwich "crunchy" in the microwave? It's astounding the variety and innovation the frozen foods department offers. You never know what you will discover.
Frozen Foods Health and Well-being
Our research finds that most (66%) of core shoppers recognize that the frozen food aisle offers a wide variety of better-for-me options. This is important to our household as we strive to meet our health and well-being goals while managing different tastes and schedules.
Frozen Foods Relevance
All the factors above make frozen foods relevant to our family and why they are in our weekly grocery basket. As food retailers consider their frozen foods departments' strategy, it's important to keep in mind the shoppers' evolving value matrix. Be sure to showcase and educate shoppers about these attributes and share how frozen foods can support their household needs.
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