“A strong e-commerce platform is a must for specialty food retailers and makers,” said Brad van Dam, CEO at Marich Confectionery Co. He will be speaking at the upcoming SFA’S The Basics Live Online about selling to supermarkets and specialty food stores.
He spoke with SFA News Daily about the impact of the pandemic on specialty food retail and its future.
How has the pandemic affected the relationship between food makers and retailers?
It has been incredibly unifying and our relationships have become even stronger as we’ve worked together on solutions, information and best-practices sharing, supporting one another and the industry overall. Each company is experiencing this differently and the collaborative spirit of makers and retailers has been front and center.
What do you hope attendees will take away from your session?
I hope attendees will understand the various opportunities and approaches to selling to supermarkets and specialty food retailers and come away with a few tips, tools, and best practices. I also hope I provide clarity on identifying the right customer, competitive analyses, and positioning, as well as build confidence in preparing and presenting to buyers.
What are the benefits of selling to a specialty food store versus a mass retailer?
The primary benefit of partnering with specialty food retailers is their passion for the food business. They embrace emerging trends and are willing to be a first mover in new products and categories. In addition, they are highly supportive of small business and local, they attract a high demographic consumer, and they invest in educating the consumer about new products and engage them in ways to use/enjoy the products.
What trends do you expect to see in the last months of 2020 and beyond?
I see a continued interest in cooking and entertaining at home, and baking, canning, and old school crafts to continue around the holidays and sustain at some level going forward. I also see an accelerated and/or expanded interest in better-for-you foods and food as part of overall health maintenance.
Also, consumer expectations of quality will remain high with an eye on value, but there has been increased interest in private label.
How has e-commerce changed the way consumers are shopping for specialty food?
Consumers appear to be much more open to and interested in buying from individual makers.
The shift to buying food online was swift, and a fair percentage is expected to sustain. The food industry was behind on e-commerce, and now it’s playing catch-up.
Large brands are benefitting to a greater degree as online doesn’t easily allow for discovery; it’s more geared towards typing in a search term and clicking to buy, so being top of mind is a massive advantage.
More information on SFA's The Basics Live Online.
Related: Selling to Supermarket Chains: What You Should Know; E-Commerce Considerations for Makers for the Upcoming Holiday Season.
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