Brand Ambassador Jack DePrima works for Daymon on not just one but two key in-store demonstration accounts—offering easy meal solutions, samples and product education to a range of shoppers. Over the years, he’s noticed shoppers share many of the same concerns when it comes to trying new products and recipes. This month, he shares his tips for dealing with three common ones.
- Cost: DePrima suggests a two-pronged approach to dealing with concerns about cost. The first is to be up front about the price of a product—displaying it clearly on your cart. The second is to help shoppers think about the cost in terms of price per serving, rather than the purchase price. For example, a taco meal kit might seem pricey at $12.99, but a lot more reasonable at $3.25 a serving for a family of four.
- Ease of preparation: Here DePrima calls on his 30-year experience in food service management, providing easy recipes and tips to help shoppers overcome their fears about cooking. “I have created recipes and menus for several restaurants, and I use that experience to instill confidence in my shoppers,” he says. “They like to talk to me and often ask for tips. It relaxes them and puts them at ease.”
- Sugar and/or carbohydrate content: Like all nutritional concerns, it comes down to putting a product in perspective of an overall healthy eating pattern. “I explain that sugar or carbohydrate intake can be controlled by portion size and also by what they eat at other times during the day,” says DePrima.
Though individual questions may vary, DePrima’s best advice is to make a personal connection with each shopper and to show that their concerns are your concerns.