Catherine Strowger’s Post

What’s the big idea? The Summer #FancyFoodShow has a stunning lineup of sessions at the Big Idea Stage today, starting with The Retail Revolution: Decoding the New Consumer Path to Purchase, which is wrapping up now. Here’s what’s next: 12:45 p.m. | Five Megatrends that Will Redefine the Food and Beverage Industry Over the Next 10 Years 1:15 p.m. | Retail's Hidden Strength: Convening Consumers in Place 2 p.m. | Processed Food, Revolutionized 2:45 p.m. | Multicultural Merchandising in the Modern Grocery Landscape 3:30 p.m. | Direct Trade and Vertical Integration: A Global Recipe for Success Specialty Food Association #WeFancy #FoodRetail

This is what #marketingleadership looks like. While many are debating the merits and meaning of ai, Yum is setting the table. There’s a powerful lesson here in applying ai to both improve operations (back of the house) and to improve the customer experience (front of the house).

"New Store Concept Launch by Whole Foods Market" Read the full article below..

Read Leetal Gruper's latest article on Finextra and get insights on how the swift transition from full-service to quick-service models within the restaurant industry can help businesses catering to these establishments leverage precise data intelligence. This strategic approach enables them to capitalize on opportunities, fine-tune sales strategies, align product offerings, and delve into emerging brands. https://lnkd.in/eVJr8yKK

Small is the new Big. Exciting news from Whole Foods, as they plan to launch a new retail format in NY later this year! The new format will put an emphasis on grab-and-go meals, snacks, essential ingredients, fresh produce, meat, and seafood. This begs the question: is this new format a complement to their existing system, or a transition to a more convenient business model? What are your thoughts on it? Let us know in the comments below! #retail #retailbusiness #conveniencestores #agile #agiletransformation #grabandgo

Exploring Strategic Renewal with McDonald's CosMcs Have you heard of CosMcs? It's McDonald's latest innovative venture, a prime example of strategic renewal in action. Contrary to popular belief, McDonald’s core strengths aren't just in serving fresh, delicious meals. Their true prowess lies in their robust supply chain, effective employee training and development, and their knack for leveraging technology to solve complex problems. Enter CosMcs. This new brand is McDonald’s strategy to harness these core capabilities and tap into new markets for growth. One market was identified through ethnography, and another through strategic foresight. CosMcs represents McDonald’s ambition to dominate the afternoon snacking sector, a market worth over $10 billion in the U.S. alone. After initial forays with snack wraps, McDonald's is now poised to explore its full potential. Using ethnography, McDonald's has pinpointed unmet needs, such as the demand for a satisfying 3PM snack. The second focus is on iced drinks and snack beverages, an area where Starbucks has previously gained an edge with its frozen beverages. Now, McDonald's is catching up. With offerings like Churro Frappes and Boba Lemonades, CosMcs is positioning itself as a formidable rival to brands like Dutch Bros and Dunkin'. CosMcs is also innovating in service delivery. Recognizing that afternoon snacking is more about convenience than socializing, they’re eschewing dine-in options for faster service and expanded drive-through facilities. The first CosMcs store features four drive-through lanes and payment terminals at each ordering point, eliminating the need for a second window. McDonald's shift to an Evergreen strategy has been a fascinating journey, and CosMcs is yet another bold step in their continuous growth.

Discover how we helped our client with their long term 'future of snacking' innovation pipeline to identify winning concepts by getting creative participants immersed in the world of food. Read more here: https://bit.ly/47lPFo1 #Qualitative #MarketResearch #ConsumerInsights #MRX #Qual #Creative #WinningConcepts #Retail #FocusGroup

With inflation affecting expenses and consumers needing to cut back, innovating to bring convenience and premium experiences directly to consumers is crucial. Data from The NPD Group reveals that while 31% of coffee shop beverages are served cold, only 7% are iced at home. Kraft Heinz saw these figures as a big opportunity for innovation and created the first-ever foaming agent brought to grocery shelves. Sweta Kannan, Kraft Heinz’s director of coffee innovation, said: “Our never-before-seen cold-stirred foam technology will allow coffee lovers to save the time and money of going to a coffee shop." Read the full story and also learn about what other brands in this competitive category are doing to innovate and stand out in this article written by Christopher Doering for Food Dive. #coffee #beverageindustry #innovation https://bit.ly/3pXmPdW

As someone who is actively involved with marketing, I find it fun to watch the zigs and zags of major corporations. Interesting news coming out of the McDonald's camp as it launches its new brand CosMc's. The brand focus will be coffee drinks, afternoon snacks, desserts and lighter fare. The goal is to tap into the market currently served by competitors like Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts. Unlike their traditional restaurants these stores will be drive-thru only. What do you think???? Was this a wise move to spin off another brand? How do you think the market will receive it? Is there space for another coffee shop? Would you wait on line for two hours to try this product like the initial stores have seen in recent days? #marketing #corporatestrategy #thoughtleadership

Our Party Cubes, introduced in collaboration with Southeastern Grocers, have been selected as one of the Progressive Grocer Editors' Picks Best New Product of 2023. This prestigious list features creative products that showcase innovation and make sustainable contributions to help the planet heal. The Party Cubes are manufactured in the world's first autonomous hyperlocal food & beverage manufacturing micro-factory located in Florida. This micro-factory co-locates production, packaging, and palletizing at the grocery distribution center, eliminating unnecessary costs, risks, and greenhouse gas emissions from middle-mile transportation in traditional supply chains. Progressive Grocer is a leading trade publication in the grocery retail industry. It provides news, insights, and analysis for professionals and decision-makers in the grocery and supermarket business. The publication covers various aspects of the grocery industry, including trends, market analysis, technology, and best practices. Check out the link below to browse the full list of products: https://lnkd.in/gpPNFY_z #groceryretail #groceryindustry #bestproducts #foodproducts #supermarket