Gekko managing director Daniel Todaro says a practical demonstration is worth a thousand words, so why not show customers what some SDA products are capable of doing?
With healthy eating at an all-time high, the market for juice extractors and other food prep gadgets has steadily been growing over the past few years.
A recent study by Mintel found that now 41 percent of Brits are cooking from scratch every day, with consumers looking to control their diets and improve their health.
Retailers need to cater to their audience, ranging a good selection of products within the category, with the ability to sell them effectively, as sales are only going to grow.
Now a mainstay of the health food appliance category, sales of low-fat fryers, for example, are continuing to increase, growing by 12 per cent year on year, where traditional deep fat fryers declined by one per cent.
While the fryer category as a whole has grown by eight per cent, two-thirds of this growth is down to healthier fryers alone. With a higher price point averaging at £101 compared with the average £25 for traditional fryers, low-fat fryers are not only a more popular product, but also more profitable for your store.
Likewise, sales of standalone grills have increased by 30 per cent since 2011. The category has seen a jump in popularity as a whole, with 15 per cent of Brits interested in purchasing a grill, compared with only 10 per cent in 2013. Traditional fruit juicers have seen a 35 per cent drop in sales volume since the beginning of 2016. On the other hand, juice extractors (such as the NutriBullet) have grown by 111 per cent and sold nearly one million extra units in the past 12 months.
Healthy
Extractors are taking the market away from juicers because of their health credentials. Whereas juicers only release the sugary juice (sometimes as much as a can of coke), extractors keep the vitamin-filled fruit fibre, creating a healthy smoothie. There are clear health benefits to all of these products, with low-fat fryers and grills cutting fat from everyday cooking, and extractors making smoothies to make it easier to hit that all important five-a-day. However, all of these products are considered purchases, with price points generally higher than their ‘unhealthy’ counterparts. While the health benefits of the products are clear, many consumers will need to be convinced that their new extractor or fryer is value for money.
As such, to make the most of the category, it’s important for your store to explain the financial benefits to shoppers.
A good example is juice extractors – the average price of a medium smoothie (450ml) from a high-street coffee chain is £3.25. Based on the ingredients of this smoothie, making the same thing at home by buying a watermelon, grapes and some strawberries would only cost around £1.35. Using a mid-range extractor, such as the Morphy Richards Easy Blend, it would take only 19 smoothies to recoup the cost of the product.
Based on making one smoothie a day, this would take less than three weeks.
This is a perfect opportunity to demonstrate the financial benefits of a juice extractor to shoppers, many of whom will already be buying smoothies every day from a local coffee shop. Knowing that they can recoup the cost of the product in as little as three weeks will be a huge factor in their decision to purchase, as the extractor will likely save them a significant amount over time.
For those shoppers who favour convenience over savings, a demonstration could change their attitude to the product. Show them how easy it is to make their smoothie every morning, while simultaneously offering them a sample made right in front of them.
Features
If you’ve decided to demonstrate a juice extractor product in your store, set aside a budget to buy fresh fruit each morning on busy days, especially each weekend. Ensure that your staff are trained to use the product, including food and hygiene training, and are briefed on its unique features.
Position the demo stand prominently, offering passers-by a fresh smoothie and the opportunity to discuss the product with a staff member.
The health SDA category is an excellent one to tap your store into consumer interest and market trends. It also offers a great opportunity to create some theatre in store, demonstrating these fantastic new products with colourful displays that will catch the eye of passing shoppers, as well as those already interested in making a purchase.
