I just returned from a trip to Southern California and one of my favorite things to do is check out the grocery stores to see what is trending, hot and of course (selfishly) see what there is for me to eat and drink.
There were two common trends that were consistent amongst the hippest (and busiest) of stores that I visited. While wandering the aisles and departments, it was apparent that these stores were asking themselves, “How can we educate our customers to make informed decisions for themselves and their families?” And secondly they were obviously asking themselves, “How can we make it easier for our customers to live a healthy lifestyle?”
Education
Cool looking and strategically placed signage is found peppered throughout the stores: Signage explaining where the food was grown and introducing the farmers that grew it, signs that detail what non-GMO, organic, vegan, fair trade, rainforest certified and gluten-free mean, plus many more. The educational infographics are eye catching and the copy is fun to read. It adds to the whole shopping experience. Customers leave the store feeling smarter and empowered.
Ease
These stores are also set up to make it easy for their customers to adopt a healthy lifestyle. They had me at the morning smoothie station! A huge wall of produce and other ingredients like ground flax seeds assembled for nothing more than making that fast-breaking morning blended beverage of vibrant health in a cup, easily and quickly.
There are endcaps of young coconuts that are, get this … already opened and chillin’ in ice (see image). Brilliant! Until you become an expert young coconut opener, it is a terrifying experience because there are cleaners involved and you fear that fingers could get lost in the process of trying to get at delicious coconut water and the decadent coconut meat. Their coconut cracking experts have done the work for you, just purchase and enjoy.
Taste testing stations of various protein powders make it easy to choose one that you like and suits your health needs. Large cases of dairy-free artisanal cheeses and milks make it simple for the lactose intolerant, dairy allergic and vegans to find their items with out feeling like their shopping trip is an in-store foraging event. A big deli and food bar area with endless healthy options is buzzing with customers too.
I kept leaving with bags of food even though we stayed in hotels with no refrigerator. I simply couldn’t resist!
How are you educating your customers to adopt a healthy lifestyle? And, how are you making that healthy lifestyle easy for them to implement long-term? We’d love to have you share your insights by commenting below.
