The second quota food chain is yielding to the processes that its competitors have been carrying out for some time. Carrefour tested Display products in boxes, as does Mercadona, Lidl, or Dia, to name a few. Specifically, this pilot model is being implemented in the Carrefour de Montecuento hypermarket in Seville.
As can be seen from the photos, the products are displayed directly in the boxes, and not placed on the shelves loosely, as is usually the case on the shelves of Carrefour. As the co-founder and vice president of the Spanish Retail Association (AER), Alfonso Sebastian commented, this type of offer “contradicts the strategy pursued by Carrefour at the point of sale”.
The goal of this change is to achieve efficiencies, and reduce personnel costs when it comes to restocking. However, Sebastian adds that One of Carrefour’s strengths is its variety and the leading role of brands. From what has been seen so far, the expert believes the chain will have to improve operations if it wants to extend this measure to other points.
“It goes against the strategy that Carrefour pursues at the point of sale.”
On the other hand, he wonders how attractive a distributor of French origin would be if he chose a strategy very similar to that of other retailers. “You have to give your customer something in return because the Carrefour consumer is used to something else. Why would you buy at Carrefour if the shopping experience is the same as on other sites?“, Wonders.
What will customers and manufacturers think?
Likewise, Sebastian adds that there are many aspects to consider when making this change. The first is that the boxes must have a specific design. “It should be It is developed to be a display box, not a container boxHe thinks. While an exit display may be more efficient, it could mean that visibility worsens and thus sales increase.
For this reason, the vice president of AER believes that it is best to maintain sales: “The greatest efficiency is selling, and efficiency is good as long as it does not hurt sales.” On the other hand, there are other situations that can occur. For example, a Carrefour customer is not used to having to tear the film from the packaging to extract one container.
“It should be developed as a display box, not a container box.”
In addition, the situation arises from it The box cannot be refilled until it is empty. When that happens, “it must be done very well so as not to give the impression that there is insufficient stock.” In other words, it could be the case that there is only one product inside the box and several things happen: that the customer does not see it, that he sees it and decides not to buy it because of the expiration date, that it gives the impression that there is no more…
You also have to consider on the manufacturers side. As said, Carrefour is committed to brands. With such beams, producers may think they are losing sight, says Sebastian. Along these lines, the expert believes, it will be the brands themselves who will press so that this model does not spread. “Having a whole batch of french fries, for example, in a good, visible place is not the same as putting them in the box, where you can’t see the product,” says the vice president of AER.
