Joint Study Finds On-Pack Meat Case Labels Increase Sales
CHICAGO -- On-pack recipe labels help educate consumers and drive sales increases at the meat case, according to results of a study released by the National Pork Board, the Yerecic Label, the Cattlemen's Beef Board, and the National Cattlemen's Beef Association.
The study, conducted to measure the impact of on-pack labels at the meat case, was follows the success of the Beef Made Easy Program (Beef Checkoff Program) and the Integrated Meat Case Program (National Pork Board), both of which worked with the Pittsburgh, Pa.-based Yerecic Label.
The study -- which sought to examine the effects that recipe labeling with corresponding signage has on retail meat products -- showed an increase in performance across labeled products, with incremental dollar sales gains ranging from 2.9 percent to 5.3 percent in the various meat and poultry categories.
The study was also undertaken to gain further understanding of the value of
on-pack labels for consumers by testing various existing labeling concepts across the entire fresh meat case. "The controlled store test measured the sales results from the label design that consumers told us they wanted to see at point of sale," said Randy Irion, NCBA's director, retail marketing. "This included cooking directions, easy to follow recipes and appetizing photos of the finished recipe. We decided to put the labels and signage to the test with two geographically dispersed accounts and found
that the labels generated incremental sales."
An in-store intercept study was also conducted where the new labels and signage were test-marketed while interviews were conducted with shoppers in the meat department of selected stores.
Store surveys with consumers found that the meat case remains a key destination for shoppers, with 86 percent of shoppers claiming to eat meat three or more times per week. Of all shoppers interviewed, 54 percent were purchasing meat during that particular trip, while 28 percent were purchasing meat for a specific recipe or meal.
Of those who intended to purchase meat, 37 percent planned to make purchases of more than one kind of meat. Additionally, over the course of the study awareness of signage rose to 35 percent, and label awareness increased to 54 percent among consumers. Nearly 20 percent of shoppers who noticed a label on a meat product referred to the recipe or cooking instructions located on the label when preparing the meal at home, according to the study.
"Retailers should consider adopting a recipe label program in order to maximize their sales potential at the meat case," said Karen Boillot, director of retail marketing at the National Pork Board. "Consumers like these new labels and we know that sales also increased across the total category when on-pack labels were used. Not surprisingly, we learned that labels can actually influence the store where consumers shop because 25 percent of consumers told us they were more likely to shop at a retailer that used the labels."
The study, conducted to measure the impact of on-pack labels at the meat case, was follows the success of the Beef Made Easy Program (Beef Checkoff Program) and the Integrated Meat Case Program (National Pork Board), both of which worked with the Pittsburgh, Pa.-based Yerecic Label.
The study -- which sought to examine the effects that recipe labeling with corresponding signage has on retail meat products -- showed an increase in performance across labeled products, with incremental dollar sales gains ranging from 2.9 percent to 5.3 percent in the various meat and poultry categories.
The study was also undertaken to gain further understanding of the value of
on-pack labels for consumers by testing various existing labeling concepts across the entire fresh meat case. "The controlled store test measured the sales results from the label design that consumers told us they wanted to see at point of sale," said Randy Irion, NCBA's director, retail marketing. "This included cooking directions, easy to follow recipes and appetizing photos of the finished recipe. We decided to put the labels and signage to the test with two geographically dispersed accounts and found
that the labels generated incremental sales."
An in-store intercept study was also conducted where the new labels and signage were test-marketed while interviews were conducted with shoppers in the meat department of selected stores.
Store surveys with consumers found that the meat case remains a key destination for shoppers, with 86 percent of shoppers claiming to eat meat three or more times per week. Of all shoppers interviewed, 54 percent were purchasing meat during that particular trip, while 28 percent were purchasing meat for a specific recipe or meal.
Of those who intended to purchase meat, 37 percent planned to make purchases of more than one kind of meat. Additionally, over the course of the study awareness of signage rose to 35 percent, and label awareness increased to 54 percent among consumers. Nearly 20 percent of shoppers who noticed a label on a meat product referred to the recipe or cooking instructions located on the label when preparing the meal at home, according to the study.
"Retailers should consider adopting a recipe label program in order to maximize their sales potential at the meat case," said Karen Boillot, director of retail marketing at the National Pork Board. "Consumers like these new labels and we know that sales also increased across the total category when on-pack labels were used. Not surprisingly, we learned that labels can actually influence the store where consumers shop because 25 percent of consumers told us they were more likely to shop at a retailer that used the labels."