Supermarket Perimeter - June 2020 - 15

AS SIMPLER TIMES IN THE FOOD WORLD PREVAIL, the bakery
sector must engage in thoughtful planning and promotions that drive
convenience and value over extravagant luxury, experts in the bakery
sector agree.
For fresh bakery random weight bakery products in supermarkets,
cake sales are down 15.8% from pre-COVID-19 levels but cookie sales
are up 12.2%, said Jonna Parker, fresh foods market research expert
with IRI. "The need for large cakes is down," she said. "But cookies
- purchased and fresh open - are very different. There are great
opportunities for Father's Day, July Fourth, and summer promotions."
One sureﬁre tactic: Engage customers with new and simple-to-execute
ideas. Satin Ice offers a prime example with its online series of tutorials.
For example, glitter glaze Bundt cake made from fondant and buttercream
glitter glaze from Satin Ice is simple to prepare. Drizzle glitter glaze on top
of each mini Bundt cake before adding decorative sugar ﬂowers.
In addition, Brill makes decorating simple, and Brill DecoPro readyto-use decorating bags preﬁlled with ﬂavorful buttercreme offers
tremendous convenience for cake decorators of all ranges.
What is crystal clear moving forward is that supermarket operators are
adjusting to the COVID-19 crisis that has presented both cautionary steps
and creative opportunities. Online ordering, for example, is surging.
"We have learned quite a bit as we've managed the +20X increase in
online ordering and we really do appreciate all of the kind words you've
said to our associates," wrote Gary Pfeil, chief executive officer and
president of 16-store Busch's Fresh Food Market in Michigan, in a blog
post from the chain. "We are committed to improving the process and
the feedback that has been provided will help us make improvements
and provide a better experience for all of our guests."

PIXEL-SHOT, PINEAPPLE STUDIO - STOCK.ADOBE.COM, DAWN FOODS

Inventive
florals
While ﬂoral designs are not
new to the baking space,
supermarket bakeries are
starting to see these designs
grow into a larger trend as

a fun way to add color to a
treat while showing a bakery
decorator's creativity.
One simple ﬂoral idea
Dawn recommends to
customers is ﬂowerpot
cupcakes, where a decorator
adds ﬂower petals to the

Likewise, "we're seeing an
increase in our e-commerce
business and expect that
demand will continue to
grow," said Deana Percass,
director of public relations for
101-store Wegmans Food Markets in Rochester, N.Y.

Rethinking marketing
Moving forward, Parker of IRI says that perimeter departments are wise
to engage customers with nontraditional marketing techniques.
"Bakery is often about impulse, and this is really a movement where
retailers have an opportunity to rethink products and promotions.,"
Parker said. "In the post-COVID-19 era, consumers will look at portion
size and other factors. We can play a role that we haven't before."
Melissa Trimmer, senior bakery application chef at Dawn Foods,
points out that as we head into summer and warmer weather, we
start to see a shift to brighter colors, such as corals, scarlet, violet,
cornﬂower, saffron and bright orange.
"We are also seeing a rise in individual desserts, 'bake-and-take' and
'take-and-decorate' offerings, and small custom cakes," she said. "While
it may look a little different this year, there are still many reasons for
consumers to celebrate - including graduations, weddings and the
Fourth of July - which provides opportunities for bakery decorators to
put their personal twists on these products."
At a time when most Americans are staying healthy at home, the
trend for comfort food has never been more evident, explains Kathleen
Debus, technical service representative for Lawrence Foods.

top of a cupcake and places
it in a cupcake carrier that
looks like the bottom of a
plant pot.
This type of decorating
uses a unique piping tool
called "Russian Tips" that
makes gorgeous ﬂowers in a

supermarketperimeter.com

fraction of the time needed
compared to decorating with
conventional ﬂower tips -
making them both trendy
and budget-friendly.

JUNE 2020 - 15

http://www.supermarketperimeter.com

Supermarket Perimeter - June 2020

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