Independent Retailers Fall Short on Displays

Store owners, take note: Shoppers across the United States have given their opinion on local independent retailers, and the results aren’t all positive.

During a typical month, Americans will visit a local seafood purveyor, butcher or delicatessen just four times in total. When visiting, many shoppers would describe the look of the displays as “cramped,” “rushed” and “nondescript,” which could deter them from coming again.

A survey conducted by London-based OnePoll.com of 1,000 American shoppers between July 27 and Aug. 3 for PriceCardPro, a U.K. supplier of plastic price labels now entering the U.S. market, revealed that more than half of Americans would visit an independent retailer more often if the store owner took more pride in its product placements.

The study also found that six in 10 shoppers found it hard to read the labeling, food allergens or nutritional information when browsing their local retailer’s product display.

“It’s interesting to read that so many American shoppers don’t seem to have the confidence in their local retailers because of the displays and labeling,” notes Carol-Anne Royer, spokeswoman for PriceCardPro, whose U.S. headquarters is in Redmond, Wash.

“We understand that store owners and their teams have a lot to contend with on a daily basis, but we know that these results will help them to realize how important clear labeling is for their business,” adds Royer. “Store owners need to see that there are easy alternatives to creating labels entirely by hand that don’t take up time and effort.”

The research showed that more than two-thirds of Americans would feel more confident about purchasing from an independent retailer, such as a butcher or seafood purveyor, if they could clearly see the allergen and nutritional data on display.

At the time the survey was conducted, almost 20 percent more shoppers trusted chain supermarkets to provide detailed allergen and nutrition data to their customers, over independent stores, and this was despite the specialty food industry’s almost tripling over the past 10 years.

Not knowing which allergens are in foods was revealed to be a massive concern to 23 percent of shoppers around the country. Also, more than a third said that not being able to see what nutritional information is in each food product concerned them the most about shop displays.

“It is becoming more and more important to have an easy-to-read display with all allergen and nutrition data included in price cards, and store owners need to make sure they are complying,” notes Royer. “Something that might seem as simple as creating a price label can become a big problem if the wrong allergen information is passed on to a customer.”