Experience retailing

Cooking class, singles night, wine tasting....
Retailers such as Wild Oats and Whole Foods try to be much more than the local supermarket, and this feature story from Maine shows several ways they get it done.

Grocery shopping is a chore for many people; their priority is speed and price. Others see a trip to the supermarket as an experience. Tempting foods and recipes to ponder. Healthier ways to eat. Purchases that help form relationships between local growers and the community. It's likely that the thousands of people who mobbed the sneak preview tour and grand opening last week of the new Whole Foods Market in Portland fit into the latter category. These folks also are apt to eat in the store's trattoria or sushi bar, attend a cooking or nutrition class, or meet in the community room. What's more, while only 15 percent or so of shoppers are loyal to a single store, those customers generate between 55 percent and 75 percent of sales, according to a study cited by the Food Marketing Institute.

TK: Steve Lutz of The Perishables Group says the company will be releasing a big organics study about the time of FMI and United. Lutz said that one of the central points of focus is understanding the differences in behavior between light and heavy users. How can traditional supermarkets take light organic users and turn them to heavy users? What do traditional supermarkets have to do to compete with Whole Foods and Wild Oats? Demographics of each store location are a key indicator in determining potential of organic sales, Lutz said. Perhaps cooking class and singles night help, too.