STORES Magazine - September 2008 - (Page 15)

Dunkin’ Donuts Debuts DDSMART If someone could find a way to actually make doughnuts good for you they’d have America eating out of the palm of their hand. In the meantime, Canton, Mass.-based Dunkin’ Brands is tempting those hungry for a healthier option with its new DDSMART menu, food and beverage items that meet at least one of the following criteria: 25 percent fewer calories than comparable fare; 25 percent less sugar, fat, saturated fat or sodium; and/or contain ingredients that are nutritionally beneficial. The newest entries are two flatbread sandwiches made with egg whites – a turkey sausage version with spinach and reduced-fat mozzarella cheese and a veggie option featuring peppers, onions, mushrooms and reduced-fat cheddar cheese. Both are under 300 calories, with nine grams of fat or less, and are served on toasted multigrain flatbread. Among the more familiar menu items on the DDSMART menu are a multigrain bagel and a reduced-fat blueberry muffin. Dunkin’ Donuts began removing artificial trans fat from its menu in 2003 and, by 2007, had reformulated its entire menu, becoming the first major quick-service chain to introduce doughnuts with 0 grams of trans fat. Hyper Search Over the last few years, it’s become increasingly popular for e-commerce sites to provide guided navigation – a process that allows browsers to narrow their search through the use of various prerequisites. WWW.STORES.ORG With nearly everyone complaining that their wallets are lighter than they were a year ago, it’s interesting to explore how spending patterns may be shifting. In which product categories are shoppers willing to trade down? In what areas are they clinging to their caviar tastes? The July American Pulse survey conducted by BIGresearch polled more than 4,000 respondents, measuring their purchasing patterns in nine key areas. Chief among the findings: In every category except automobiles and electronics, at least half of the consumers polled already consider themselves value shoppers. Younger adults (18 to 34) are inclined to pay more for a better brand than shoppers 35 and older in nearly every category. The only category where this younger demographic seems to be pulling back on spending is coffee. Only 23 percent indicate a willingness to pay more for a better brand, compared with 30 percent of 35- to 54-year-olds and a like number of those 55 and older. A quarter of the 18- to 34-year-olds say they’ve started to trade down when it comes to purchasing coffee. When purchasing clothing, nearly two-thirds (64 percent) of all respondents say they are already value shoppers – a figure that increases to 73 percent for those 55 and older. In electronics, 18 percent of all adults say they have started to trade down; 48 percent already consider themselves value shoppers. Younger shoppers (22 percent) are more inclined to trade down, but that may be a function of how heavily they’ve invested in this category in recent years. And it’s not to say their spending outlook has changed radically: 42 percent say they’ll pay more for a better brand. One area where there appears to be a concerted effort to trade down is food/groceries. Overall, 23 percent of respondents say they have started to do so; 61 percent already describe themselves as value-shoppers. Here again it’s the youngest demographic (26 percent) that seems to be making the biggest spending shift. At Overstock.com, CEO Patrick Byrne has taken guided navigation to a higher power, providing an experience dubbed “searchandising.” As the shopper is browsing, information “is being fed back through our systems,” Byrne says. “Sophisticated analysis ➔ STORES / SEPTEMBER 2008 15 http://WWW.STORES.ORG

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of STORES Magazine - September 2008

STORES Magazine - September 2008 Contents Executive Editor's Page President's Page Office Depot Unveils First Green Store Dunkin’ Donuts Debuts DDSMART What Shoppers Think 10 Things You May Have Missed Numbers Worth Counting Full Price/Markdown Retail People Are You a Facebook Fan? RFID Concept2Watch E-commerce Supply Chain Marketing ERP Credit Web Optimization LP Vantage Point Newsbeat Cover Story LP Program Building Biometrics Industry Perspective Customer Service Site Selection E-Commerce LOEB Retail Letter Arts Update Point of View NRF News Retail Crossword Retail Industry Calendar Last Laugh

STORES Magazine - September 2008

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