Pricing & Promotions

  1. Data & Insights

From Points to Precision: Why AI-Powered Loyalty Is Rewiring the Grocerant Economy in 2026

  The loyalty landscape in foodservice and convenience retail is undergoing a structural reset—and the data is no longer subtle. According to the 2026 Paytronix Loyalty Report, operators that once relied on static, points-based systems are now pivoting toward AI-driven personalization fueled by first-party data. The result? A measurable lift in visit frequency, ticket size, […]
5 min read
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  1. Merchandising

Emerging Brands Can Win Shelf Space Without Sacrificing Margins – Here’s How

For many small manufacturers, shelf space is treated as the ultimate objective. Placement becomes the milestone. Distribution becomes an achievement. Yet too often, the cost of that placement is not fully understood until long after the contracts are signed and the invoices begin to arrive. Winning shelf space should never mean surrendering sustainability. National retail […]
3 min read
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  1. Shopper & Customer

Fire, Flavor, and Frequency: Why Tucson’s Tito & Pep Is Goldmine in Disguise

  A Modern Desert Dining Experience From the vantage point of the Grocerant Guru®, what’s happening inside Tito & Pep isn’t just “fine dining”—it’s a case study in how experience-driven foodservice is outpacing traditional retail food models. Set in Midtown Tucson, the restaurant delivers a chic mid-century modern aesthetic paired with an intimate yet energetic […]
3 min read
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  1. Channel: Ecommerce & Digital

Ocado ramps up quick commerce push as it starts rolling out same day delivery slots in UK

Ocado is launching same day delivery slots in select UK areas. In an email to customers, the online grocery retailer said: “You can now order with your morning cuppa and we’ll deliver before dinner.” It added: “It’s perfect for when you’ve run out of milk. Oh, and you forgot to get the tinned tomatoes for […]
3 min read
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  1. Data & Insights

Reoccurring Customer Visits Drive Incremental Revenue Faster

  The growth algorithm across all sectors of food retail—restaurants, convenience stores, and grocery service delis—has converged on one immutable truth according to Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®:  frequency of visits is the most reliable driver of incremental revenue and long-term profitability. What was once a convenience-store insight is now […]
5 min read
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  1. Trends & External Forces

Fed and Bestway team up for exclusive voucher promotion

The Fed has joined forces with wholesaler Bestway for a promotion that it said will save its members hundreds of pounds while unlocking strong margin opportunities. The Bestway Voucher Book, which contains 40 deals and offers across a range of leading products and Bestway own… This story continues at Fed and Bestway team up for […]
< 1 min read
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  1. Technology & Innovation

Guest Column:  Thom Blischok on “Retail Restructured”

Content Guy’s Note:  I don’t run a lot of guest columns on MNB, but when I read this LinkedIn posting from Thom Blischok, of The Dialogic Group, I decided that it was exactly the kind of piece that should be featured here – it focuses on how three major retailers are engaging in fundamental rethinking […]
3 min read
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  1. Shopper & Customer

Grocers’ Biggest Strategic Misfire: Chasing Shelf Rent While Consumers Chase Dinner Tonight

  The data is not ambiguous—it is directional and disruptive. According to FMI – The Food Industry Association, the percentage of consumers replacing restaurant meals with deli-prepared foods jumped from 12% in 2017 to 28% in 2025. At the same time, 53% of consumers are assembling hybrid meals, blending prepared foods with items already at […]
5 min read
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  1. Shopper & Customer

Why Wellness is Becoming a Winning Retail Strategy    

Four major retailers are betting big on wellness this year: Ulta, Target, Amazon and Boots have all made significant forays into wellness in 2026. These moves align closely with signals we’ve identified across consumer behavior, category convergence and wellness-led spending.   Consumers are dedicating more of their time, energy and dollars to their own wellness routines. Mintel has been tracking this shift for several years, identifying wellness as one of the most durable, cross-category […]
4 min read
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  1. Department: Beverage

Beer, Basket Building: How 7-Eleven and Budweiser Turn a Holiday into High-Margin Momentum

  Let’s get straight to it: beer isn’t just a beverage—it’s a traffic driver, a margin enhancer, and when merchandised correctly, a meal solution multiplier according to Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®. The latest limited-time promotion from 7-Eleven proves exactly that, leveraging National Beer Day (April 7) as a strategic […]
4 min read
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  1. Holiday & Events

Easter Joy Is Not Optional — It’s Profitable (Especially with Adults)

  Easter is no longer a kids-only holiday—it’s a full-scale adult participation event, and more importantly, a high-margin, multi-day consumption cycle that food retailers and foodservice operators can no longer afford to misunderstand according to Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA Based Foodservice Solutions®. What began as “Adultoween” has now evolved into a broader […]
4 min read
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  1. Data & Insights

Intuit Mailchimp’s Sarah Logan: retailers need clarity, not more campaigns, to drive profitable growth

By Sarah Logan, Head of Agency Partnerships, EMEA, Intuit Mailchimp Despite having more ways of reaching consumers than ever before, retail marketers are finding it harder to convert customers. However, it’s not due to the lack of campaigns, but the lack of clarity: With so many touchpoints at play, it’s difficult to clearly see which […]
4 min read
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  1. Merchandising

Why Retail Is Not Just Another Sales Channel (And Why Brands Fail When They Treat It That Way)

For years, commerce has been dominated by digital-first thinking. The rise of direct-to-consumer (DTC) brands promised higher margins, owned customer data, and complete control over brand storytelling. But today, that narrative is shifting. Customer acquisition costs are rising, online competition is intensifying, and many digital-native brands are hitting a growth ceiling. As a result, brick-and-mortar […]
4 min read
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  1. Technology & Innovation

The Future of Grocery: Introducing GroceryLab with FMI’s Doug Baker

The CPG Guys are joined in this episode by Doug Baker, VP of Industry Relations at the Food Marketing Institute. As the food industry association, FMI works with and on behalf of the entire industry to advance a safer, healthier and more efficient consumer food supply. FMI is a champion for the food industry and […]
2 min read
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  1. Channel: Ecommerce & Digital

Behind Amazon’s Rural Delivery Infrastructure Focus

From Bloomberg: “Small business owners craving extra cash are on the front lines of an ambitious Amazon.com Inc. initiative: bringing the quick delivery popularized in cities and suburbs to America’s remote outposts. Many rural online shoppers are used to waiting half a week or longer for purchases to arrive. Amazon, which disclosed its $4 billion […]
3 min read
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  1. Data & Insights

Marketing Contracts Under Economic Pressure Despite Growing Value and AI Gains

Share Post Share Email Results from the 35th edition of The CMO Survey paint a challenging portrait of opportunity and challenges for marketing leaders. These findings arrive at a moment of notable economic stress, and the results reflect it — not just in the macroeconomic data, but in the patterns of behavior, investment, and strategic […]
4 min read
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  1. CPG & FMCG

“TO HELL WITH COMFORT ZONES!”  A new presentation by Kevin Coupe…

Many businesses and business leaders – most businesses and business leaders, if we’re being honest about it – operate within the lines.  For many reasons, they believe they must;  they are responsible to their employees, shareholders and customers, and time, experience and an instinct for self-preservation have persuaded them that this requires them to adhere […]
< 1 min read
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  1. Channel: Restaurants

Panda Express: A 40-Year Case Study in Scalable Grocerant Strategy

  From a single mall-based concept in 1983 to a $6+ billion powerhouse, Panda Express has quietly engineered one of the most disciplined growth stories in foodservice. For restaurant operators, c-stores, and grocers, Panda is not just a brand—it is a blueprint for how the “Grocerant” model (prepared foods + convenience + bundling) scales profitably […]
4 min read
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  1. Media & Marketing

Society 2, Social Media 0, As Two Juries Cast Their Votes

It has been a bad couple of days for social media companies. Yesterday, a jury in Los Angeles found that “the social media company Meta and the video streaming service YouTube harmed a young user with design features that were addictive and led to her mental health distress,” according to the New York Times.  “Meta […]
4 min read
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  1. Data & Insights

Descript vs Veed vs Kapwing: Who’s Winning AI Video in 2026?

By Jenny Liu, Director of Product @Yipitdata New YipitData analysis of 1,300+ mid-market and enterprise companies shows Descript widening its lead in AI video editing, driven by accelerating customer growth and a step-change in monetization. Descript is emerging as the clear leader in AI video editing — and the gap is widening. That’s the pattern […]
6 min read
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  1. Channel: Restaurants

Crowning the Comeback: How Burger King Is Reclaiming Its Throne in Fast Food’s Marketing Cycle

  The quick-service restaurant (QSR) sector has always been defined by cycles—periods of menu innovation followed by simplification, bold brand storytelling followed by value-driven messaging, and digital disruption followed by a return to operational basics. Few brands illustrate this pendulum swing more clearly than Burger King, which is now signaling a strategic return to form […]
4 min read
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  1. Merchandising

Retail Packaging Mistakes That Keep Your Product Off Shelves (and How to Fix Them)

You’ve poured blood, sweat, and resources into developing a product that solves a problem. You’ve validated the concept, built a community online, and you know your target audience inside and out. But when it comes to the pivotal moment of a customer scanning the aisle, does your packaging seal the deal or send them scrolling […]
4 min read
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  1. Technology & Innovation

InPost expands UK locker network through partnership with The Football Association (FA)

InPost UK has partnered with The Football Association (The FA) to offer England football accredited grassroots clubs the chance to host its parcel lockers at their facilities.  The pair will provide guidance and supporting materials that clubs can adapt locally, with the aim of allowing them to create campaigns that reflect the needs of their […]
2 min read
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  1. Trends & External Forces

NOW AVAILABLE: The 2026 Economic Report on U.S. Pharmacies and Pharmacy Benefit Managers

I am pleased to announce Drug Channels Institute’s new 2026 Economic Report on U.S. Pharmacies and Pharmacy Benefit Managers, now available for purchase and immediate download. Download a free 32-page report overview–including Key Industry Trends, What’s New in this edition, the Table of Contents, and a List of Exhibits. Review pricing and license options and […]
4 min read
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  1. Channel: Restaurants

Darden Restaurants: From Dining Rooms to Doorsteps—The Strategic Evolution of Takeout, Delivery, and Bundled Meals

  Few companies illustrate the transformation of American dining habits better than Darden Restaurants. Known for powerhouse brands like Olive Garden and LongHorn Steakhouse, Darden has steadily repositioned itself from a dine-in dominant operator to a multi-channel foodservice leader where off-premise occasions drive incremental growth. The Historical Shift: From Dine-In to Off-Premise Dominance Historically, Darden’s […]
5 min read
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  1. Channel: Restaurants

Darden Restaurants: From Dining Rooms to Doorsteps—The Strategic Evolution of Takeout, Delivery, and Bundled Meals

  Few companies illustrate the transformation of American dining habits better than Darden Restaurants. Known for powerhouse brands like Olive Garden and LongHorn Steakhouse, Darden has steadily repositioned itself from a dine-in dominant operator to a multi-channel foodservice leader where off-premise occasions drive incremental growth. The Historical Shift: From Dine-In to Off-Premise Dominance Historically, Darden’s […]
5 min read
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  1. Technology & Innovation

Many Brits would stump up more for a seamless shopping experience, Visualsoft research

New research from Visualsoft, surveying 2,000 UK consumers, shows that 33% would pay a premium for a seamless shopping journey. Among younger consumers aged 18–34, that figure rises to more than 60%. Frictionless shopping is key for younger demographics, and that includes everything from knowing what’s in-store before setting out, simple payments, earning loyalty points […]
4 min read
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  1. Trends & External Forces
  2. Shopper & Customer
  3. Technology & Innovation
  4. Trends & External Forces
  5. Associates & Employees
  6. Merchandising
  7. Stores & Formats

Walmart to Expand Digital Shelf Labels Chainwide

Walmart will deploy digital shelf labels (DSLs) chainwide this year, doubling the approximately 2,300 U.S. locations currently using the technology (Walmart U.S. operates more than 4,600 stores). With more than 120,000 items in a typical Walmart store, managing price changes manually requires significant associate hours. Additionally, these DSLs are equipped with LED lights that make […]
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