May 1, 2008
Safeway’s FoodFlex Tool Gets a Workout
By Tom Ryan
Some reviews have arrived for FoodFlex, Safeway’s new online calorie-counting tool. Accessed at www.safeway.com/foodflex, the interactive tool presents loyalty cardholders with a nutritional snapshot of past purchases, as well as food alternatives to help them reach their nutrition goals.
The program, launched in late January, adds up the calories in everything purchased, calculates the total fat, cholesterol, sodium, fiber, protein and carbohydrates, and charts them against an individual’s recommended daily intake, taking into account factors such as age and physical activity.
One comprehensive review came from The Washington Post’s Ylan Mui, who wondered if FoodFlex would “really help you be more nutrition-conscious” or was “just marketing.” To “give it a workout,” she decided to make crab manicotti.
Shopping with a heightened nutrition-consciousness, Ms. Mui first stocked her cart with organic baby romaine salad mix, orange juice, Odwalla energy bars and Pacific Rose apples. Bending to the crab manicotti recipe, she grabbed ricotta cheese (albeit part skim) as well as alfredo sauce and manicotti (no leaner options for the last two). For dessert, she bought vanilla-yogurt-covered raisins and decided to make a cookie recipe on the side of the packaging.
When Ms. Mui logged on to check out the nutrition reading of her purchases, the results were dismal: Fat: 136 percent of the federal dietary guidelines. Sodium: 159 percent. Cholesterol: 165 percent.
“It’s a wonder my arteries were still functioning,” wrote Ms. Mui.
The culprits included the half walnuts used in the cookie recipe as well as the alfredo sauce and manicotti. The report recommended sliced almonds instead of walnuts, as well as vodka sauce or even leaner marinara sauce instead of the alfredo sauce.
On the positive side, certified nutrition counselor Michele Pishalski-Schlossberg, called the ability to search for healthy alternatives the most useful feature of the site. For example, FoodFlex could offer ways to reduce sodium to fight high blood pressure.
One limitation, according to Ms. Mui, is that FoodFlex by default seeks alternatives in the same category as the original purchase. Requesting a substitute for Gatorade that has more Vitamin C or potassium will likely yield another sports drink. Comparing it with a broader range of products requires more clicks.
Also, while the nutrition report may have been accurate, it didn’t reflect real life, Ms. Pishalski-Schlossberg asserted.
“When you have this mathematical, scientific kind of equation, it labels everything as having the same value. And there’s so much more to food and what really nourishes somebody.”
Indeed, Ms. Mui notes the race to meet numbers obscures the fact that the body needs fats and calories to function and they “aren’t hidden traps to make us gain weight.” Still, she argues that much like the FoodFlex name, consumers should be flexible about their food choices.
“So I refuse to feel guilty about using manicotti shells that aren’t whole wheat. But maybe I’ll give the marinara sauce a chance,” she wrote.
Discussion Question: What are the benefits as well as the limitations of an online calorie-counting program such as FoodFlex? Should more grocers be pursuing such programs?
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FoodFlex is great PR, but it’s unlikely to be a noticeable contributor to Safeway’s sales or profits. It’s just not a compelling service for mainstream Americans. Every retailer needs to ask themselves, “Will this marketing program reach a significant spending group or will this just be another press release launched into the ether?”
These calorie-counter programs have a broad appeal among females, but one has to question whether consumers would want to go to a retailer-affiliated site when there are others available. Sites such as http://www.fitday.com and http://www.myfooddiary.com offer calorie counters, and consumers going there may not feel like their data is being mined by their retailer.
As usual, Warren brings a dose of reality to these conversations. While FoodFlex may be useful to some, it may be a small subset of the shopper base. And while it sounds technically interesting, it certainly doesn’t sound cool. If it adds complexity to daily life, I don’t see FoodFlex attracting too many new users. Experienced users are likely to tail off as they absorb the knowledge FoodFlex provides.
FoodFlex is a nice gimmick. Some will find it useful, while others will think it’s a waste of time. I salute Safeway for making it available and tying it directly to items purchased.
If you go to the Washington Post story, and click on the “comments” section at the bottom, you get a fascinating view of the world of paranoia: Shoppers worried about Safeway sharing this info with insurance companies so they can deny claims because of your unhealthy eating habits.
To me, FoodFlex is merely an attempt to get shoppers to focus more of their shopping at Safeway so that the program gives them a more accurate view of their family’s intake. Nothing wrong with that. It’s a nice little value-added. I don’t see it as being wildly successful, but no doubt it will pick up some sort of following, so no doubt there’s ROI there.
The Wellness center on Safeway’s site is very good, actually, but there are already a gazillion alternatives out there for people to find on the Web. And, I’d love to hear about this from people who might have done some research on it, but anecdotally, based on interviews with dozens of consumers, I find a very, very small percentage of shoppers actually visit supermarket Web sites.
“What’s new pussycat?” Well, FoodFlex is, at least for those consumers engrossed with nutritional needs. The object is to be able to project your stores the safe way by being ahead of your competition with new ideas and offerings. Rack up this inning in the retail ballgame for Safeway.
I look at these types of things as value added services for the customer. Is it useful? Is it relevant? I would say FoodFlex is and customers will appreciate it. Is it the end-all dietary guideline? No, but it is a guide that should at least raise awareness of intake. The more value you can add to a customer’s shopping experience, the more likely it is that they will remain loyal to the brand.
Safeway has found another great extension of their loyalty program that will be well used by some consumers. It will start to pay for itself when the vendors are permitted to suggest items that are in line with each consumer’s preset health goals.
I applaud Safeway for doing their little bit to help build a healthier America.
Interesting, but I doubt it will ultimately drive much business or loyalty. Something tied into the real-time shopping experience might be a bit more helpful, but then again, shoppers switching foods in the store might view the tool as a way to get them to buy higher margin (or higher priced) goods rather than simply a nutritional tool.
The problem Safeway will run into is that they will begin to promote purchasing their private label brands over the national brands as alternatives for healthy eating. The conundrum is that public view of private labels may be that they are not as nutritious as name brands, so Safeway will be their own worst enemy.
FoodFlex is Safeway’s effort to provide a meaningful tool for shoppers who want to get a healthier handle on their personal consumption. It begs the question: “what business are we in?” That is, food distribution or home pantry management services? The latter would reflect a significant change in business mission for the chain.
For the plan-ahead type shoppers, FoodFlex information could lead to a more health aware shopping list. Besides affecting consumers’ dietary behavior, the exposure could lead manufacturers to offer healthier formulations of packaged foods. (Have you ever looked at the fat and sodium levels in mainstream frozen entrees?)
Nobody’s going to get a nutrition guide right–as even the US government struggled with, scrapped, and eventually revised its own nutritional guidelines. But what I will give Safeway credit for is the customer-centric nature of their offering:
– They designed something that was based off of customer data they already had
– They used it to provide something of value to consumers that theoretically has little or no sales value to Safeway, other than the PR angle
– They provided it to (again, theoretically) their highest value customers – their loyalty card holders.
Those are all elements needed to drive loyalty: delight your customers with value, and they will respond. Kudos to Safeway for giving it a shot!
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FoodFlex is great PR, but it’s unlikely to be a noticeable contributor to Safeway’s sales or profits. It’s just not a compelling service for mainstream Americans. Every retailer needs to ask themselves, “Will this marketing program reach a significant spending group or will this just be another press release launched into the ether?”
These calorie-counter programs have a broad appeal among females, but one has to question whether consumers would want to go to a retailer-affiliated site when there are others available. Sites such as http://www.fitday.com and http://www.myfooddiary.com offer calorie counters, and consumers going there may not feel like their data is being mined by their retailer.
As usual, Warren brings a dose of reality to these conversations. While FoodFlex may be useful to some, it may be a small subset of the shopper base. And while it sounds technically interesting, it certainly doesn’t sound cool. If it adds complexity to daily life, I don’t see FoodFlex attracting too many new users. Experienced users are likely to tail off as they absorb the knowledge FoodFlex provides.
FoodFlex is a nice gimmick. Some will find it useful, while others will think it’s a waste of time. I salute Safeway for making it available and tying it directly to items purchased.
If you go to the Washington Post story, and click on the “comments” section at the bottom, you get a fascinating view of the world of paranoia: Shoppers worried about Safeway sharing this info with insurance companies so they can deny claims because of your unhealthy eating habits.
To me, FoodFlex is merely an attempt to get shoppers to focus more of their shopping at Safeway so that the program gives them a more accurate view of their family’s intake. Nothing wrong with that. It’s a nice little value-added. I don’t see it as being wildly successful, but no doubt it will pick up some sort of following, so no doubt there’s ROI there.
The Wellness center on Safeway’s site is very good, actually, but there are already a gazillion alternatives out there for people to find on the Web. And, I’d love to hear about this from people who might have done some research on it, but anecdotally, based on interviews with dozens of consumers, I find a very, very small percentage of shoppers actually visit supermarket Web sites.
“What’s new pussycat?” Well, FoodFlex is, at least for those consumers engrossed with nutritional needs. The object is to be able to project your stores the safe way by being ahead of your competition with new ideas and offerings. Rack up this inning in the retail ballgame for Safeway.
I look at these types of things as value added services for the customer. Is it useful? Is it relevant? I would say FoodFlex is and customers will appreciate it. Is it the end-all dietary guideline? No, but it is a guide that should at least raise awareness of intake. The more value you can add to a customer’s shopping experience, the more likely it is that they will remain loyal to the brand.
Safeway has found another great extension of their loyalty program that will be well used by some consumers. It will start to pay for itself when the vendors are permitted to suggest items that are in line with each consumer’s preset health goals.
I applaud Safeway for doing their little bit to help build a healthier America.
Interesting, but I doubt it will ultimately drive much business or loyalty. Something tied into the real-time shopping experience might be a bit more helpful, but then again, shoppers switching foods in the store might view the tool as a way to get them to buy higher margin (or higher priced) goods rather than simply a nutritional tool.
The problem Safeway will run into is that they will begin to promote purchasing their private label brands over the national brands as alternatives for healthy eating. The conundrum is that public view of private labels may be that they are not as nutritious as name brands, so Safeway will be their own worst enemy.
FoodFlex is Safeway’s effort to provide a meaningful tool for shoppers who want to get a healthier handle on their personal consumption. It begs the question: “what business are we in?” That is, food distribution or home pantry management services? The latter would reflect a significant change in business mission for the chain.
For the plan-ahead type shoppers, FoodFlex information could lead to a more health aware shopping list. Besides affecting consumers’ dietary behavior, the exposure could lead manufacturers to offer healthier formulations of packaged foods. (Have you ever looked at the fat and sodium levels in mainstream frozen entrees?)
Nobody’s going to get a nutrition guide right–as even the US government struggled with, scrapped, and eventually revised its own nutritional guidelines. But what I will give Safeway credit for is the customer-centric nature of their offering:
– They designed something that was based off of customer data they already had
– They used it to provide something of value to consumers that theoretically has little or no sales value to Safeway, other than the PR angle
– They provided it to (again, theoretically) their highest value customers – their loyalty card holders.
Those are all elements needed to drive loyalty: delight your customers with value, and they will respond. Kudos to Safeway for giving it a shot!