Fresh is on the rise and the demand for it just keeps increasing. This is no secret. Fresh is taking up more and more supermarket real estate, at the expense of ambient produce. Today’s time-poor consumers want the convenience of fresh meals, which they don’t have to prepare, or meals, which at the very least require only, limited preparation. Discover how FMCG Brand Marketers are capitalising on this fresh growth trend in the dry/ambient area of the supermarket.

1. 00/00/2016
1
Packaging design:
Making dry the “new fresh”

2. How can you make
“dry” the “new
fresh”?
2

3. jamandco.com.au
The rise and
rise of
“fresh”“We’ve actually seen
a 55% increase in the
number of food and
drink launches in
Australia with an ‘On
the Go’ claim between
2012 and
2016“. Justin Nell
(Mintel) on Australian
food trends for 2017.

4. jamandco.com.au
Fresh is on the rise and
the demand for it just
keeps increasing taking
up more and more
supermarket real estate,
at the expense of
ambient produce.

5. jamandco.com.au
Today’s time-poor consumers
want the convenience of fresh
meals, which they don’t have to
prepare, or meals, which at the
very least require only, limited
preparation.

6. jamandco.com.au
Whilst frozen
options have been
a fast options for
decades this is not
the answer.
Frozen is
often perceived by
consumers as less
healthy and less
tasty than the
current “fresh”
alternatives.
The bad press re
the dangers of microwave
cooking has also impacted
the growth of frozen
produce.

7. jamandco.com.au
Processed food has become increasingly
unpopular

8. jamandco.com.au
Changing lifestyle habits have meant that Australians no longer want
artificial and highly processed ingredients in their food.

9. jamandco.com.au

10. jamandco.com.au
This is a worldwide back to basics trend,
not just an Australian anomaly.

11. jamandco.com.au
As label
scrutinization
becomes more
prevalent, aware
consumers now
know exactly what
level of nutrition is
going into their
food.

12. jamandco.com.au
“Natural” untainted food
products have become more
and more important to
even the slightly less health
conscious shopper.
This has added fuel to the
demand for more “fresh”.

13. jamandco.com.au
The consumer-driven shift toward
fresher, cleaner foods isn’t just a trend
or simply a fad. Rather it’s a movement
that is here to stay.

14. jamandco.com.au
The consumer is looking
for a healthier, quality
and tastier home food
options that fit in with
their busy lives.

15. jamandco.com.au
“When young Australians buy food, they try to strike
a balance between wanting fresh, high-quality
produce and wanting convenient options which can
cut down on meal-preparation time,”
AUSVEG – Shaun Lindhe

16. jamandco.com.au
There has been a massive shift in demand
for grocery products that reduce cooking
times and which simplify food preparation
from scratch.

17. jamandco.com.au
There has been an explosion of “on the
go” food options.
A survey conducted
by AusVeg’s Project
Harvest reveals:
“The once a week grocery
shop is now all but dead
with shoppers now making
multiple trips to the
grocery store in a week.”

18. jamandco.com.au
AUSVEG spokesperson Kert Hermann said:
“Australians are treating supermarkets like extensions
of their own fridges. Consumers are only planning a
couple of meals ahead, because they’ll return in a
night or two”

19. jamandco.com.au
Shifts in household composition have also added to the
demand for “fresh” produce in our supermarkets.
Smaller households (singles, couples) and urban
consumers in particular want healthier, fresh and tastier
products.

20. jamandco.com.au
Time poor Australian consumers want fresh
and convenient solutions and are willing to
make regular trips to the grocery store to
get these needs met.

21. jamandco.com.au
“Fresh” @ a price
Are we willing to compromise quality
and fresh based on price?

22. jamandco.com.au
Today’s on-the-go
lifestyle shopper wants “fresh”…
BUT… they also want these products
to still represent good value for
money.

23. jamandco.com.au
Whilst as consumers we have
good intentions in terms of
shopping and eating healthily,
when it really comes down to our
food and drink choices, our
budget is still a priority.

24. jamandco.com.au
The growth of ALDI points
to the fact that there is still
a large portion of the
population that is still price
sensitive when it comes to
buying their groceries.

25. jamandco.com.au
Nielsen Global Study: price is the top
driver of store switching behavior.
- 68% say price, followed by quality
(55%) are store-switching motivators.

26. jamandco.com.au
Consumers want fresh and healthy and
don’t want to compromise on quality.
They want fresh at a price that they
perceive as good value for money!

27. jamandco.com.au
The price we pay for fresh

28. jamandco.com.au
Over the last ten years there
have been significant advances
in food technology enabling
“fresh on the go foods” to enjoy
a longer shelf life than before.

29. jamandco.com.au
However there is still a large gap between
the shelf life of fresh or “perishable” foods
and that of ambient shelf products, or non-
perishable goods.

30. jamandco.com.au
The significant improvement to
supply chain, which has
revolutionized the speed and scale
of food delivery means the shelf life
of fresh is much longer for most
products than it once was.

31. jamandco.com.au
There is still a significant economic
differential between the cost to
store between ambient and dry
food and “fresh on the go” packaged
produce.

32. jamandco.com.au
Added to the cost of “fresh” are the
economics associated with handling
and display requirements plus in-
store servicing of “fresh” product
lines.

33. jamandco.com.au
Plus increased shrinkage, labor
and capital costs all require
charging higher gross margins
to cover these investments.
This all translates into higher
costs for fresh on the retail
shelf.

34. jamandco.com.au
NOTE: Not all ambient products are
full of preservatives.

35. jamandco.com.au
Technologies and improvements in
vacuum packaging, hot filling,
drying, irradiation and oxidation
have all proven highly effective in
managing bacterial control, colour
stability, yeast and mould
inhibition, flavour stability, textural
stability and aroma stability.

36. jamandco.com.au
This means that ambient product
that was previously loaded up with
preservatives; sugars and salts can
now sustain a longer shelf life and
still be “fresh-like”.

37. jamandco.com.au
As trusted brands you still need to demonstrate
authenticity and stay true to your brand promise. In
other words you should never present a pack that looks
‘fresh’ if it was full of nasties

38. jamandco.com.au
FMCG brands can move away
from having artificial looking
packaging and the immediate
perception of being artificial.

39. jamandco.com.au
They can lean on
other sensory drivers
such as taste and
authenticity if they
are unable to focus on
fresh.

40. jamandco.com.au
Consumers are wanting “fresh” on a budget.
This spells out significant opportunities for brand
marketers who are able to give their ambient
produce a “fresh” look and feel, whilst still being
authentic to their brand promise.

41. jamandco.com.au
Does “fresh” really have to be
fresh?”

42. jamandco.com.au
Like “natural”, the term “freshness” gets
bandied about so frequently by food
marketers that it has lost its impact on
consumers.

43. jamandco.com.au
There is a way brand marketers
can apply learning’s from their
“fresh-on-the-go” marketing to
“crack the fresh code” for their
ambient produce.

44. jamandco.com.au
Marketers need to employ similar
marketing and merchandising
tactics to those they use for
marketing and moving
fresh produce.

45. jamandco.com.au
Staying up to date
If your product/brand were a person, wouldn’t they
want new clothes every now and then, some new
shoes to go with the new jeans.
The same is true for your ambient or dry product on
the shelf.
It too needs to stay relevant and up-to-date

46. jamandco.com.au
This means finding ways to create
attractive on-shelf displays and
alluring see-through packaging.

47. jamandco.com.au
Piggy-backing off the “fresh” growth movement requires
investing in engaging relevant displays and signage, along with
ensuring your packs are regularly kept up to date.

48. jamandco.com.au
These actions all contribute to the
consumer’s perception and to their
desired impression of freshness.

49. jamandco.com.au
Refreshing the look and
feel of ambient and dry
shelf products is essential
to optimize on-shelf sales.

50. jamandco.com.au
Looking fresh in a sea of beige
sameness on shelf and coming up with
creative ways to demonstrate “ambient
freshness” are essential for taking back
your share of stomach.

51. jamandco.com.au
False fresh isn’t fresh it’s
just fake

52. jamandco.com.au
Ever bought a frozen pizza
because of the eye candy food
porn image on the front of the
pack only to discover once you
open it that it was way over
promised?

53. jamandco.com.au
That’s “false fresh…It isn’t fresh
it’s just fake!”

54. jamandco.com.au
YES! You want your dry packs to garner the
perception of fresh but… it must be done
without being seen to make false promises.

55. jamandco.com.au
There are numerous ways and
design strategies that can be
employed to demonstrate
“fresh” and on-the-go without
resorting to selling something
that it quite obviously full of
nasties.

56. jamandco.com.au
The simple rule for selling
off the retail shelf…
Busy consumer’s have
subconsciously simplified the
decision making process by
scanning for:
a) what’s familiar &
b) what’s different.

57. jamandco.com.au
Don’t simply dress up your packs only
to let your consumer down once they
get your product home.
Authenticity is still key.

58. jamandco.com.au
Making dry the new fresh

59. jamandco.com.au
THE CHALLENGE:
How do brand marketers and designers
communicate “freshness” at the shelf
when there are just a few seconds to get
noticed and make an impact?

60. jamandco.com.au
Whilst the opportunity for
brands to drive shelf sales
in dry/ambient exists by
creating perceived
“freshness” for their
products… putting lipstick
on a pig doesn’t change it
from being a pig.

61. jamandco.com.au
Consumers tend to be skeptical
about claims and expect
“fresher” foods to be far
simpler and cleaner visually.

62. jamandco.com.au
Examples:
1. Being able to preview inside
and see the food within the pack.
This is a great builder of trust.
2. The packs simple design or pack
form can also reflect messages of
simplicity and purity (and
freshness) of the food. Less is
more.

63. Wearing your heart of your brand on your
sleeve
© Jam&Co Design 2017 | jamandco.com.au

64. Sure…some brands and products
are able to show up as “fresh” in
an ambient on-shelf environment.
© Jam&Co Design 2017 | jamandco.com.au

65. BUT…There’s a large
segment of FMCG
brands that can’t be
”fresh” without over-
promising and under-
delivering. In essence
not being authentic
and true to themselves
© Jam&Co Design 2017 | jamandco.com.au

66. Being clear on your brand essence (BRAND
DNA), knowing what your emotional connection
is, is essential for owning space in the ambient
market.
© Jam&Co Design 2017 | jamandco.com.au

67. Translating the heart and soul of your
brand authentically across all your brand
touch points can inject new life into your
packaging formats and design, redefining
the ambient space you compete in.
© Jam&Co Design 2017 | jamandco.com.au

68. Traditional FMCG marketers need to step out from their
traditional myopic thinking and traditional positioning.
They should take lessons from fresh prepared food
“winners” and look to re-inspire their ambient product
packs.
© Jam&Co Design 2017 | jamandco.com.au

69. Brand marketers need to find credible and own-able
ways to inject fresh life into the dry shelf space.
They need to focus on attributes they can own.
Attributes like taste…, which can be cued through the
use of fresh ingredients on pack (think: One Night In
Mexican Taco Kits).
© Jam&Co Design 2017 | jamandco.com.au

70. There is no doubt that the “fresh” on-
the-go food movement will translate to
changing consumers shopping habits in
this under served area.
© Jam&Co Design 2017 | jamandco.com.au

71. jamandco.com.au
© Jam&Co Design 2017 | jamandco.com.au
Have you lost your way?

72. jamandco.com.au
Many traditional brands have
lost their way and are finding
it tougher to sustain their on
shelf presence and
profitability.

73. jamandco.com.au
This is especially true in
the ambient/dry
sections of the
supermarket.
Over the years many
brands and products
have had various
different facelifts.

74. jamandco.com.au
Often boredom or the
“not invented here”
syndrome is the cause,
as new managers take
over the direction of a
brand or product. They
want to put their own
stamp on it.

75. jamandco.com.au
There are also times when a brand or product
was created to ‘fit’ with one product or market
and it no longer works.

76. jamandco.com.au
For a whole host of reasons brands
have lost their way and are fading
into on-shelf obscurity.

77. jamandco.com.au
The essence of the brand,
the emotional connection,
the heart and soul of the
brand has been eroded
and concealed from the
target consumer.

78. jamandco.com.au
The growth of “fresh” might well
be the very catalyst required to
clarify and re-state what the brand
is there to do.

79. jamandco.com.au
Now is the opportunity for
brand marketers to revive their
ambient products.

80. Will you miss the “fresh” movement?

81. Leading marketers don’t concern
themselves with who follows in their
direction.
Instead they go where they need to
go.

82. They head in the direction
they need to head because
they know what direction is
right for their brand and
product because they have a
strong understanding of the
single thing their brand
stands for.

83. Those brand
marketers that
adopt a wait and
see how this trend
develops will miss
out to those
innovative a
creative brands
who are willing to
take the calculated
risk of breathing
“fresh into their

84. See:
INSIDE FMCG MAGAZINE ARTICLE
HERE

85. 85

86. 86