IDDBA Trends: Pizza feeds need for convenience

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IDDBA Trends: Pizza feeds need for convenience

15 Jun 2023

Joanie Spencer

Since 2008, Joanie Spencer has covered the retail and wholesale sides of the baking industry.
Serving associations such as the American Society of Baking (ASB) and BEMA, Joanie is also in demand as an industry presenter on bakery operations and trends. She holds a bachelor’s degree in communication from Rockhurst University and a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri.

When she’s not running or playing soccer, Joanie spends her time with her husband and 11-year-old son.

ANAHEIM, CA — As consumer needs evolve post-pandemic, the International Dairy Deli Bakery Association (IDDBA) outlined five guiding trends to help its members better serve their customers and consumers.

During IDDBA 2023, which took place June 4-6 in Anaheim, CA, Whitney Atkins, IDDBA’s VP of marketing, and Heather Prach, VP of education, dove into how each trend is impacting the association’s members and identified best practices for capitalizing on those trends.

One important trend, Consumer-Defined Convenience, highlights the ever-increasing need for products and services tailored to individual needs and lifestyles.

“The on-the-go lifestyle is back,” Prach said. “Feeding the family has become a balancing act between money, health, taste and time.”

While saving money is a top consumer priority, there are still opportunities for bakery producers and retail operators to capitalize on taste, time and nutrition.

“Life is about continuums,” Prach said. “There’s not a single shopper who ‘always’ saves money, ‘always’ shops for healthy or ‘always’ chooses new over nostalgia.”

Convenience is one constant on the continuum, and it’s creating opportunities for products like pizza, a staple in the supermarket’s fresh perimeter. It’s a product that can be made ready-to-eat and still be customizable, whether it’s hot and ready or the take-and-bake variety, lending itself to the need for convenience.

“This is a great illustration of how life is about continuums, and how it can play out by taking one concept and applying a number of executions,” Prach said. “Home cooking burnout helps our categories and fuels our strength, especially as almost all homes discover a hybrid system of cooking.”

IDDBA reported that half of consumers are mixing scratch-made with semi- or fully prepared meal items. This presents an opportunity for par-baked or frozen pizza crusts to be used in the in-store bakery or deli department as fully made pizzas or a base for consumers to build their own with items such as fresh produce.

“When time is crunched, or consumers aren’t in the mood to cook, they’re thinking about quick-grab options at the grocery store.” — Heather Prach | VP of education | IDDBA

“When later shoppers are getting home from sporting events or a long day at work,” Prach suggested, “they want to know their local retailer will have a reliable selection of grab-and-go items, along with easier preparation items they can heat and serve no matter what time.”

As inflationary pressures continue, pizza options in the supermarket create direct competition with full service and fast-casual restaurants. And as supermarkets increase their omnichannel presence in areas like delivery, the competition for convenience heats up even more.

While 60% to 80% of consumers use restaurant takeout compared to just 30% to 40% at the retail level, Atkins and Prach identified this as white space for innovation around the demand for customized convenience.

“This is a great place for you to focus your marketing efforts,” Prach suggested to retailers. “When time is crunched, or consumers aren’t in the mood to cook, they’re thinking about quick-grab options at the grocery store.”

Pizza programs can provide moments that keep the in-store bakery on the radar for consumers through creative programs, marketing and e-commerce.

“By adding marketing message to ensure implementation, [consumer] loyalty will emerge,” Atkins said. “Put items together and address portion sizes, and don’t miss the ever-important impulse buy while creating convenience for the consumer. And don’t forget that curbside is here to stay. It’s convenient, quick and provides options for the family meal.”

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