The refridgerator unit is clean and the lighting is good. You can clearly read the labels on the packaging. The prices are prominently displayed and you can see the brand. The meat being sold in this section is locally produced at the Henry and Nina’s farm in Granville County, NC.
January 2015 – NC Growing Together is sponsoring student teams at NC State Poole College of Management”s Supply Chain Resource Cooperative and Consumer Innovation Consortium that are addressing pressing business and supply chain issues.
In the Fall 2014 semester, one of the three sponsored teams conducted research to understand how grocery store merchandising around local meats influenced consumer shopping behavior and store perceptions.
The MBA team created an online survey designed to achieve the following objectives: to determine grocery store merchandising influences on purchasing behavior of local meats; to determine how the availability of local offerings influences the consumer shopping basket, especially with regards to premium products; and to assess demographic influences on purchasing behavior.
The survey contained three experimental conditions, differentiated by a photo best online casino of one of three packaged meat displays-(1) commodity meat with an unidentified source (2) locally-grown meat with an identified source (local family farm) (3) locally-grown meat with an identified source (local family farm) plus visual cues in the display, including “local” on a chalkboard stand, greenery, and burlap.
The respondents were asked to give feedback on their perceptions of the cleanliness of the store, employee knowledge, and store decor, and they were then given options for purchasing a set of items (including meat, fresh produce, and non-perishables) at different price points.
The data analysis (206 total respondents) revealed that high-income shoppers (household income >$120,000) spent 8% more at the checkout counter when local meat was available (conditions #2 OR #3). Both high and middle-income shoppers (household income < $120,000) thought that a store that stocked local meat was cleaner, had a better décor, and had more knowledgeable staff.
In addition to the survey data analysis, students created a “Look Book” to highlight the impact of product placement and messaging that enhances sales, and an annotated bibliography of the research literature on consumer motivations to purchase source-identified food in grocery store settings.
Visit the NCGT website”s Research page to access the Look Book and bibliography and to see the student”s final presentation, or read the Poole College of Management”s newsletter article about the project.
This article originally appeared in the January 2015 NC Growing Together Newsletter.