The Retailer Summer Edition 2022

SUMMER 202 2

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How collaborative platforms enable transparency To meet the consumer demand for comprehensive information, retailers and brands are looking for technological solutions that help provide clear information and increase transparency. These include databases and collaborative projects, such as mobile apps that allow consumers to directly access product information or nutritional and environmental scores. Collaborative platforms for commerce experience management facili tate data sharing between manufacturers, retailers and consumers by enabling real-time updates, reliability checks and product data updates, to ultimately turn consumer demands into opportunities for brands and retailers.

Since Covid hit, the Farmer Favourability Survey showed that 75% of the surveyed Brits supported local food and farming. The National Food Strategy alignedwith this trend and engaged in rethinking Great Britain’s food systems, supporting more sustainable farming practices. Increasingly mindful of their environmental footprint, consumers have internalised that consuming local products leads to a reduction in CO2 emissions. The large retail chains are responding to the trend across Europe. In the UK, supermarket chains such as Booths (80% of the meat sold in their stores comes from the region) and Morrisons (listing 1,300 products from local manufacturers) launched initiatives several years ago to pro mote long-term partnerships with local farmers and producers, defining common values and principles. This engagement is now coming into focus across all sales channels and marketing, both in-store and online. Sustainability labels are being tested More British consumers are adopting a sustainable lifestyle and prefer products that protect the planet. The EU Commission wants to develop uniform specifications for a sustainability label for food. However, there is dis agreement about the Eco-Score , pioneered and later postponed by the regulator from 2021 to the end of 2022. In the meantime, the organic association BNN has introduced its own label, the "Planet Score". Lidl UK claims to be the first retailer in the country testing the Eco Score in its stores in Scotland. “We want to make labelling clearer so that our customers feel confident to make more sustainable decisions when shopping with us.” Which label will ultimately become binding throughout the EU is still open. The hundreds of green labels can be confusing to shoppers but reflect one good news: the food market is evolving in terms of sustainability labelling and reacting to the new consumption model.

James Humphrey jhumphrey@salsify.com +44 (0) 7794 164 541