The ongoing boom in meat sales has cultivated many success stories, but perhaps none are shining brighter than lamb. In fact, lamb sales dollars outgrew the meat case by 98%[1]— nearly double the rate of the overall category. After nearly two years of pandemic-influenced buying habits and trial of new cuts and varieties, long-term consumer demand for lamb appears to be locking in.
For retailers, this makes for a “can’t miss” opportunity to improve the productivity of the meat case.
How to get a leg up with lamb
Lamb appeals to high-value, big-basket shoppers with upside potential. It starts with quality and flavor, and a good eating experience that leads to return purchase. Attributes like pasture-raised, antibiotic-free and no-added-hormones have broad appeal, and move the needle even more for these shoppers.
Three easy steps for growing sales with lamb:
- Bring it forward. Many meat sections lag behind consumer demand for higher quality, sustainable offerings like pasture-raised lamb. Step one is to add assortment and make it easy to find.
- Focus on the fundamentals. Activate the built-in drivers for lamb sales by emphasizing taste, variety, and sustainability.
- Sell with story. Showcase recipes in-store and online that help maximize the appeal to today’s “protein” shopper. Lamb’s appeal is rooted in its value as an “upgrade” on everyday meat in flavor, restaurant-grade quality and variety.
Pasture-raised lamb from Australia brings all these advantages to the meat case, with the added value of consistent supply and volume, plus a seriously strong sustainability story. Aussie lamb producers are already climate-neutral and stepping up to do even more as part of the climate solution.
[1] IRI, Integrated Fresh, MULO, 52 Weeks Ending 10/03/2021
This post is sponsored by Meat & Livestock Australia