By George Anderson
The average consumer spends four-minutes per shopping trip, three and one-half hours per year, shopping in front of the meat case, according to research by the National Pork Producers Council.
The NPPC's research also shows that:
- Eighty-six percent of shoppers plan to buy meat before going to the store
- Eighty-two percent physically examine and compare packages before deciding which to buy. The higher the price, the closer consumers study the meat.
- Sixty-nine percent of consumers are influenced by signage.
How then, do retailers selling meat influence consumers to buy more of it?
The Hampton Roads Daily Press reports that stores are grouping meat by preparation method rather than the type of cut, selling irradiated meat, and a host of other product and merchandising strategies to generate more volume.
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) says that per-capita beef consumption was 62.9 pounds last year, more than 25 pounds off 1976, the highest on record.
Moderator's Comment: What are the biggest factors currently influencing meat case sales? What will exert the most influence in the future? [George Anderson - Moderator]