1. W
hen it comes to supermarket
shopping, people have firm
opinions on how well a store
is doing in meeting their needs,
where it may be falling short or if
it is exceeding expectations. After
all, most shoppers have numerous
choices, shop often and what is more
important than the food we eat!
The Retail Feedback Group (RFG)
conducts an annual survey, now in its
ninth year, with 1,200 supermarket
shoppers across the United States to
help provide retailers with the latest
consumer ratings.
Shoppers continue to divide their
shopping across an ever-increasing
number of different formats and
channels. As a result, many people
shop at more stores and shop less
frequently at just one supermarket.
This places enormous pressure on
growing the basket size each time a
shopper visits our stores.
For years, our study has docu-
mented that satisfied shoppers are
higher spending and display greater
loyalty to the store over time. Experi-
ence has always been important, but
is crucial in today’s environment.
Supermarket Report Card
When we look at how
supermarkets perform, we focus
on the core pillars of quality,
variety, service and value. For each
pillar there is one or more key
questions answered by shoppers,
on a five-point scale, that help us
measure performance. So how did
supermarkets fare in 2016?
The top scoring areas for
supermarkets were quality and
freshness of food and groceries,
as well as store cleanliness inside
and out, followed by item variety
and selection.
Factors with
mid-range scores
from shoppers
were associate
friendliness/attitude
and checkout speed/
efficiency.
Areas where
supermarkets
received the
lowest scores
from shoppers
were associate
helpfulness/
knowledge,value for
money spent, and
associate availability.
Satisfaction
Declinesasthe
DayProgresses
With the
exception of a slight
uptick in overall trip
satisfaction from 11
a.m. – 3 p.m., all of
the individual core
experience factors
show a decline
in ratings as the
day progresses.
WHAT’S OUR GRADE:HOW CAN SUPERMARKETS DRIVE SATISFACTION, SPENDING & LOYALTY?
Written Exclusively for the MGA By Brian Numainville, Principal, Retail Feedback Group
Item Availability: A Big Impact
on Satisfaction
Whether it pertains to items that
a shopper wants that are not carried
or items that were out-of-stock, item
availability greatly impacts shopper
satisfaction with a store. And, if a
desired item isn’t available, it is an
invitation for your shopper to visit
another store to purchase that item
and perhaps many more!
Low Specialty ItemVariety
Ratings Present an Opportunity
Overall, variety is a strong area
for supermarkets at 4.43 on a five-
point scale. However, looking a little
deeper, supermarkets are missing an
opportunity to meet shopper demand
in some specific areas that score much
lower in variety at supermarkets,
such as natural & organic (4.09),
gluten/allergen-free (4.01), ethnic/
international/locally-sourced (4.00)
and non-GMO items (3.93).
Delivering
Value: More
Than Just Price
Delivering value
helps elevate the
discussion above
simply low prices.
This is especially
important since
supermarkets
do not fare well
on meat prices
(4.01), produce
prices (4.06),
and everyday
prices (4.07).
And, although
it’s stronger
than individual
departments or
everyday prices,
as we saw above,
one of the
lowest
scoring
core
experience
factors is
value for
money
spent (4.27).
Supermarkets
do fare better, however, on
advertised sales items (4.41).
So what are shoppers using
today when it comes to advertising/
sales vehicles?
Our research shows that 77
percent of shoppers are referring
to one or more advertising/sales
vehicles before or during their
shopping trip. What is most
important to understand is that these
vehicles are diverse and straddle
traditional, as well as social, mobile
and digital media.
Looking at the advertising/sales
vehicles used by generation, one
can clearly see that Boomers are
using the circular at home and
clipped coupons at a much higher
rate than Millennials, but on the
flip side, Millennials show stronger
use of smartphone research and
social media specials compared
to Boomers.
Store Associates Make
a Huge Difference
While friendliness and checkout
speed score in the middle of the
core experience factors, clearly
there is room for improvement with
availability and associate helpfulness/
knowledge. And we know that
excelling at customer service can pay
huge dividends. For instance, those
who gave higher satisfaction ratings
on the various service elements
measured in the core experience
factors also had much higher overall
trip satisfaction ratings.
Fostering a culture where
employees enjoy working and it
is evident to customers can yield
positive results. Consider that when
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12 Minnesota Grocer Winter 2016 Minnesota Grocer Winter 2016 13

2. shoppers in our survey indicated that
employees enjoyed working at the
store they visited that their overall
satisfaction was 4.58 on a five-
point scale versus those shoppers
who indicated that employees did
not appear to enjoy working at the
store (3.42).
When shoppers in our survey
indicated that employees at the store
they shopped seemed to have the
expertise to help them select and
prepare food to meet their family’s
needs, they also scored their overall
satisfaction higher (4.59) versus
stores where the employees did not
seem to have this expertise (3.45).
Key Considerations
Taking all of the above into
account, here are some ideas to
help drive satisfaction, spending
and loyalty.
How Does My Store Score?
Do you conduct regular consumer
research and/or have a feedback
program to assess how you
are doing on core experience
factors? You can take the results
from our research and use this
as a baseline to see how you are
doing in your stores.
How DoesYour Store Score
Later in the Day?
Given that satisfaction tends to
decline throughout the day, do you
pay attention to the areas of the store
represented by the core experience
factors later in the day in your
operation? The results of this study
show that more attention, especially
during the evening rush, is needed to
improve satisfaction scores.
How isYour In-Stock Position?
Since this can lead to a dissatisfied
shopper and loss of sales, what are
you doing to ensure a strong in-stock
position? And, how do you make
certain that you are carrying items
desired by your shoppers?
DoYou Carry theVariety Desired
byYour Shoppers?
While your overall variety may be
strong, how about variety in areas
such as natural/organic, gluten/
allergen-free, ethnic/international
and locally-sourced items?
How AreYou Doing Providing
Value toYour Shoppers?
Unless you are a price-oriented
format, illustrating value to your
shoppers is key versus simply having
the lowest prices. Are you using
the advertising/sales vehicles that
shoppers refer to before and during
their shopping visit to communicate
value? And are you using the right
ones for your customer base?
How DoYou EnsureYour
Associates Provide Excellent
Service?
Since higher scores on service
factors also lead to greater overall
satisfaction scores, how do you
ensure available, knowledgeable and
friendly associates in your store?
Whether it is helping a customer
find something, correcting a
problem, offering a speedy
checkout experience or
providing advice/expertise, it
is critical to make sure your
associates are well-trained,
enthusiastic and available for
your customers.
-----------
WantTo Learn More?
MGA members may receive a
complimentary copy of the full 2016
U.S. Supermarket Experience Study
by contacting Brian Numainville
of Retail Feedback Group at bn@
retailfeedback.com. You can also
follow Retail Feedback Group on
Twitter at @TheFeedbackGrp.
What’s Our Grade:
Continued from page 13 REFRESH
THE SEASON
©2016 The Coca-Cola Company.
14 Minnesota Grocer Winter 2016