DAWN FARMS TOP 9 | ISSUE 39| 2018

GLOBAL UPDATE ON CONSUMER, MARKET AND MENU INSIGHTS. 

1.  DOMINO’S TATTOOS & TOPPING

Domino's Portugal has recently launched a new ‘Las Americanas’ range featuring American pizza legends such as Buffalo Chicken, Philly Beef, and Sweet and Smoky Brisket – watch a clip here> Some 54% of Portuguese consumers describe their latest fast-food meal as American, according to Global Data. Domino’s is not only on trend in Portugal; in Russia, the ‘Domino’s Forever' campaign invited consumers  to win 100 free pizzas per year for life if they tattooed the logo on a visible part of their body.

2.  DELHAIZE’S FRESH TRIANGLE 

Ahold Delhaize has launched a new supermarket concept in Belgium, offering fresh meal solutions in its Fresh Atelier section front of store (part of its Fresh Triangle) and a digital environment in response to heightened consumer expectations. It plans to open 9 by the end of 2018 and a total of 45 by the end of 2019. As well as screen kiosks, the layout caters for different shopping missions – from top-up to a bigger weekly shop, while consumers can also order online as part of the “endless aisle” experience. Delhaize currently holds 18.6% market share in Belgium, putting it in 3rd place behind Carrefour and Colryut Group (FAS Brussels 2018).

3.  GEN Z BRAND FAVOURITES

A US survey by youth-marketing firm, YPulse (8,500 Gen Z consumers on 332 brands) has revealed which brands are successfully engaging with the next generation of consumers. Its Top 100 brands include those in the fields of media, communications, fashion and food. No surprise Youtube comes in top with Netflix in 4thplace, while Dorito’s is also in the top 5. Among the top 30 brands are fast-food players McDonald’s (10), Taco Bell (17) and Subway (25). Boosting its brand popularity, Taco Bell has declared October 4th National Taco Day; its USA restaurants are celebrating with $5 gift boxes including its four most iconic tacos. Click here to watch video>

4. NIGHT OWLS OF LONDON  

Overnight dining, also known as night owl dining, is the fastest growing UK foodservice trend, accounting for over 80% of growth in out-of-home dining, according to the NPD Group.  Around 257 million British diners visit food and drink outlets between midnight and 7am every year, with London accounting for one in 4 of those night-time diners. Happy Dog, Mikey’s Late Night Slice, Stuggy’s are among those serving late night hot food options from fried chicken to hot dogs and pizza. According to operators, there is demand for more high quality options, including fast casual, especially if London’s night time economy is to compete with New York and Tokyo for example.

5.  IMPLICATIONS OF NO-DEAL BREXIT

Discounters have hit a sweet spot offering both local convenience and value for money. Making the headlines recently has been Tesco’s new discount concept Jack’s; its response to the rising popularity of Aldi/Lidl> Driving this discount culture is a busier pace of life; shoppers are visiting stores more often but buying less per visit, with average spend down 8.5% since 2013 (Barclays). Price competitiveness is likely to come even more to the fore if the UK fails to reach a Brexit deal - Barclays latest ‘no deal’ estimates suggest an average tariff of 27% on EU-imported food and drink (40% of food and drink consumed in the UK in 2017).

6. LIDL LEAPS INTO DELIVERY 

As above, discounters are well placed to offer the convenience shopper a top-up shop, with over 1 in 3 Irish consumers stating this as their main reason for visiting a particular store (HIM Research 2018). Looking for new ways to compete on top-ups and win share, Lidl is currently trialling a rapid grocery delivery service in Dublin, offering deliveries in five Dublin postcodes within the hour for a charge of €6.99.  Via the Buymie app, a local grocery delivery firm, Lidl shoppers can order a range of frozen, chilled, and ambient food.

7. MCDONALD’S GREAT TASTES RETURN 

McDonald’s Great Tastes of The World is back, featuring 4 exciting global flavours. New to the lineup this year is the French Stack featuring creamy garlic mayo served in a garlic bun along with The Brazilian Stack with streaky bacon, creamy bell peppers, chilli and lime sauce, and pepper jack cheese on a spicy lattice bun. Available only for 2 weeks each, the Swiss Stack is making its return from 2017 with Emmental cheese sauce, Beechwood bacon and crispy onions along with The Jamaican Chicken featuring spicy jerk sauce, cool mayo, Beechwood smoked bacon and pepperjack cheese. Click here to watch McDonald’s New French Stack Ad available until 9 October>

8.  FACE ID FOR PIZZA PORTAL PICK UP

We've talked before about Little Caesar’s Hot-N-Ready concept, but we feel its next generation Pizza Portal Pickup station is worth highlighting.  "The industry's first heated, self-service portal” allows customers to order, pay and retrieve a pizza without interacting with a single person. These stations have launched in nearly all Little Caesar’s US stores with Touch ID/fingerprint and Face ID functionalities. Customers simply mobile order and pre-pay using the app, then bypass the counter and go directly to the Pizza Portal where they input a 3-digit pin or scan a QR code to open the door and take their order. Click here to check out Little Caesar’s Pizza Portal>

9.  GERMANY’S POSTCODE PIZZAS

Germany is the land of pizza - it is German consumers’ favourite delivery choice, despite the growing popularity of burgers. A report by delivery aggregator Pizza.de highlights the most frequently ordered pizza toppings in Germany by postcode as well as other fun facts. Most pizzas are ordered on Sundays at 6 pm - more than 70,000 times last year. Men ordering pizzas outnumber women by more than 2 to 1.  Pizza Salami, Hawaii, Ham, and Doner top the charts as most ordered per capita, while Pizza Hot Dog, Diavolo, Gyros and Calzone follow close behind. Click here to see an interactive map by Pizza.de>