How to drive sales in a price-sensitive market: Insights from US retail

📊 October 2025 Grocery Insights: Value, Caution, and Convenience Drive Shopper Behavior In October, U.S. consumers continue to feel the squeeze of high prices and job uncertainty — and it’s showing up in where and how they shop for food. 💬 Consumer Sentiment: The University of Michigan’s index held nearly flat at 55.0, still 22% below last year. Inflation expectations remain elevated (4.6%), and optimism about economic recovery is limited. 🛒 Grocery Shopping Shifts: Value is winning. Shoppers are increasingly visiting Dollar General, Aldi, club stores, and mass merchants—cutting into the share of traditional grocers. Since 2019, Dollar General’s grocery traffic share has climbed nearly 3 points, while traditional grocers have dropped 4 points. 🥗 Retail Foodservice on the Rise: More shoppers are skipping restaurants and turning to grocery deli-prepared foods instead. Since 2017, that share has doubled to 28%, with over half of consumers now creating “hybrid meals” that blend deli items with home-cooked dishes for convenience and savings. Key Takeaways: 🔑 Consumers are thrifty, adaptive, and convenience-driven. 🔑 Discount and value retailers are reshaping the grocery landscape. 🔑 Prepared grocery foods are redefining what “eating out” means. As inflation lingers, brands and retailers that can deliver value, flexibility, and time savings will continue to earn shopper loyalty. #GroceryTrends #CPG #RetailInsights #ShopperBehavior #Inflation #FoodRetail Walmart Kroger Meijer Albertsons Safeway Ahold Delhaize USA H-E-B Costco Wholesale Sam's Club Giant Eagle, Inc. Publix Super Markets ALDI USA Ralphs Grocery Company VONS Dollar General #ConsumerInsights #ValueDriven #savings #grocerytrends #coupons #coupon #barcodebucks #shopperinsights #retailmarketing

7-Eleven just reported a loss of $2.8 billion in quarterly revenue, why? And what should those of us in CPG be looking out for? 7-Eleven just reported that revenue in North America fell 18% year-over-year, from $15.8B to $13B, forcing the company to close 445 underperforming stores. They cited the reason being consumers shifting due to economic pressure and growing cost consciousness. To combat this, they’ve begun launching larger, food-focused stores that are driving 45% higher sales per location. Fewer pit stops. More high-value, fresh food–focused destinations. The challenge they're seeing is that according to recent studies, only 36% of consumers say they trust food from convenience stores. Nearly half still see it as “low quality.” On the bright side...the same study shows that the tide is turning...46% of those same consumers say gas station food has improved over the past five years. Here’s why that matters: trust is a force multiplier across the entire CPG landscape. As credibility grows in the convenience channel, it opens the door for manufacturers to ride that wave...bringing cleaner, more innovative products into spaces that once relied on price over perception. That’s what CPGs should be watching. The convenience channel isn’t dying, it’s being rewritten. And the brands that win won’t just out-price competitors... They’ll out-trust them. 💬 Want to learn more about how to predict where your brand fits in? Let’s chat. (Deeper breakdown in newsletter below)

📸 Spotted in Las Vegas: a Pringles shelf at Albertsons Companies… and it’s clearly not fully stocked. The question is: Is this out-of-stock due to replenishment, or is it a retail execution issue? The distinction matters 👇 If it’s replenishment: 👉 Is it an under-forecasting issue? does a replenishment parameter need to be adjusted? 👉 Suppliers such as Pringles (Kellanova) lose millions in potential sales, and planned promotions may underperform If it’s retail execution: 👉 Does inventory exist in the backroom? If so, why aren’t the shelves not being replenished correctly? 👉 Retailers such as Albertsons risk lost basket value and eroded shopper trust Either way, the impact is real: empty shelves frustrate consumers, reduce loyalty, and directly hit revenue. 💡 On-shelf availability isn’t just an operational KPI anymore—it’s a business imperative for both suppliers and retailers. __ #OSA #CPFR #OOS

I'm not sure any flavour is actually out of stock although looks like the Honey and Mustard variety soon will be. Blocking the same SKU vertically across multiple shelves is inefficient for colleagues filling the shelves as well as creating more work and greater potential for Price Integrity errors. Furthermore although it can be eyecatching, if not precisely executed ( aligned) in the store, the whole effect is ruined. Lastly look at all the expensive metal hardware needed to keep the packs in straight rows. Shelf ready tray packaging would remove the need for this and make the shelf filling far more efficient.

A lot of brands I talk to are gearing up for retail expansion with Kroger, Albertsons, Whole Foods and others. The exciting part is landing those big orders. The tough part is retailers often pay on 45 to 90 day terms while production runs, packaging and ingredient orders need to be paid upfront. That means cash is tied up before revenue even shows up. For emerging brands that gap can be the difference between saying yes to growth or slowing down to protect cash. It is probably the most common challenge I hear about when talking with founders. Curious for those scaling into retail right now, how are you bridging the gap between paying suppliers and waiting to get paid by retailers?

When industry leaders act, the market pays attention. Giant Food — the leading grocer in greater Washington, D.C. — is launching all 160+ stores on Upside later this month. This decision shows how large, established retailers are recognizing the power of Upside to deliver sustainable growth at scale. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/eYqxQcGR

Going through my notes from Day 2 of Groceryshop, I’m struck by the growing number of revenue streams available to the top tier of grocery retailers. ·      Retail media currently feels like a winner-take-most environment, where spending flows to a handful of the largest operators commanding the largest audiences. ·      I think we’re just scratching the surface of loyalty programs—Erewhon’s $200/year membership program obviously isn’t going to be feasible for most grocery retailers, but it does point to ways that the in-store experience mights be tailored to the top tier of retailers’ consumers going forward, especially at the higher end. ·      Lidl’s model of an increasingly vertically-integrated supply chain supporting a primarily PL model coupled with a curated selection of third party brands is highly effective, particularly when consumers are as value-focused as they’ve been in a generation. ·      For all of the talk of new revenue streams/profit pool and moves up and down the value chain, there was relatively little discussion yesterday of foodservice and eating occasions. I expect we’ll see more moves in this space—there’s simply too many occasions still in play for grocery retailers, and an untapped market for affordable convenient meals at scale. On the brand/product side, I don’t see how this can’t drive more consolidation and diversification. While the current mood (at least among public companies) is one of focus and right-sizing portfolios, scale and bargaining power matter, and the specter of GLP-1 and related medications means the growth environment in any one category (snacks, CSDs, bakery) could remain permanently challenging, particularly in the US. 

Costco's latest earnings reveal a powerful truth: adaptability drives success in challenging environments. 📈 Despite rising inflation and supply chain pressures, Costco has outperformed expectations. – Membership income soaring 14% – E-commerce sales up by 13.5% 💻 – Stronger appeal to younger consumers – Successful launch of new product lines to tackle tariff impacts What’s their secret? A relentless focus on adding value. By introducing new Kirkland Signature products and shifting towards U.S.-made goods, they're keeping costs manageable while offering members more. The results? – Revenue spiked to $275 billion, a healthy growth of 8.1% 📊 – 27 new warehouses opened this quarter, with 35 more planned for next year – Membership renewal rates on the rise 🏷️ As Costco shows, in times of uncertainty, innovation and customer focus pave the path to growth. Food for thought: Can companies in other sectors learn from Costco’s playbook? With evolving consumer needs, how can they innovate while controlling costs? #Retail #Earnings #Innovation #BusinessStrategy #Costco Link to article: https://lnkd.in/ePzs-txu

Albertsons believes its private label sales will expand to account for as much as 30% of its business as the supermarket operator continues to take steps to connect with price-focused shoppers, the company’s chief executive said Tuesday. #PrivateBrands #GroceryRetail

Clarkston's grocery, retail, and CPG industries team collaborated on their top 4 takeaways from #Groceryshop. Read through this list of insights here: https://hubs.ly/Q03Nw_B-0 1. The Evolving Shopper 2. Collaboration Across CPGs, Retailers, and Delivery Platforms 3. Technology Foundations for Growth 4. The Key Ingredient: People If you have thoughts on these #insights or are curious about Clarkston's grocery practice, we'd love to discuss: https://hubs.ly/Q03NwYF00 Thanks to Groceryshop for hosting a great conference!