“Shelflation” – refers to the economic phenomenon in which consumers are trying to control their spending and their monthly budgets, so they buy what they know they’ll use up, rather than stocking up on food and other items that may end up going bad in the fridge or pantry. This behaviour of consumers can make life difficult for food retailers, because it reduces impulse buying and contributes to an overall stagnant economy. Luckily, there are some methodologies to fight back against this issue and help your business recover from shelflation.
Here are Three Ways Global Reach Confections and More is trying to reduce the effects of shelflation for food retailers in Canada – nationwide.
1 MIN. VIDEO
1) Inventory Management Intelligence.
By now, every food retailer on the planet knows that an effective Inventory Management Strategy to keep shelves full is helping to combat ‘Shelflation’. Global Reach Confections and More is working with a large network of food distributors to keep retailer’s shelves stocked with the Dutch and British food products that people come back for time after time.
Global Reach Confections and More – CEO Ed Tams:
“Every way retailers can avoid running out of products when there’s high demand helps with fighting ‘Shelflation‘. Through the pandemic, we have seen many stores with empty shelves, forced to close or offer buy one, get one free deals because they were completely out of stock. We are making sure that when a product is not available it is replaced immediately by an equivalent product to avoid ‘gaps’. In other words: Our team is working around the clock to ensure our client’s shelves are stocked with product, no matter what.”
2) Smart Expedited Deliveries
Let’s be honest, food distribution is complex, and pandemics aren’t the only way a product’s shelf life can be compromised. Delivery delays can be caused by political upheaval, armed conflicts abroad, severe weather events, natural disasters, labour disputes, staff shortage, extensive recalls, equipment failure, industry strikes, and there are more reasons out there without a doubt. Over the last two years, food wholesalers and transporters have seen everything from mechanical breakdowns, warehouse deficiencies, to unusually warm temperatures shorten the life or even spoiled products before a shipment reached its destination.
The reality is: Transportation conditions are never consistent and as a consequence, the shipment’s arrival isn’t either. The more interesting question is: What can we do about it and how can we help to avoid late deliveries? Actually, the concept is simple. (Though the execution is not simple in any way!) But what really works is expediting our shipments when possible. Yes of course, this requires flexible logistics, a flexible team, a flexible network of distributors, and a lot of extra work from our dedicated team. Nevertheless, at Global Reach Confections and More, we strive to get our shipments out of the door ASAP. Meaning, when it’s ready to go, it should go – even when the delivery is scheduled for next week or next month. The objective is to keep your shelves full, so we’ll do what it takes to help you the best we can.
3) Intensified Communications.
In the end, we have to realize that our industry is all about people helping people. Products don’t care. Shipments don’t care. The clock doesn’t care either! Only people are able to care for your business, revenue, and bottom line. At Global Reach Confections and More we do care, and we strive to help by LISTENING first.
CEO Ed Tams:
“We love to hear from you when you need help. We actually like to get that phone call: Hey guys, can you make a miracle happen? Sure, tell us how we can help! But before we go any further, we have to let you know that we … can’t make miracles happen on demand – like everybody else can’t. What we CAN do is TRY, put our thinking-caps on, then figure out a creative way to help you – the best we can! And after coming up with a plausible solution, we will communicate clearly what your options are, how we can execute the plan, and how to move forward. Sound fair? Our company moves a lot of product, because that’s what we do. But that’s not all. We’d also like to show you what we do – for you!”
At Global Reach Confections and More, it’s our mission to provide Canadians from coast to coast with quality European, Dutch, and British food products. Thousands of people LOVE these products and they could make a difference to help you sell more.