whole foods

WHOLE Fresh Foods?

Posted on by spr1332khendricks

 

 

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Entrance of Whole Foods Market

 

 

 

 

There are companies who do it better than others, and those who do it better, eventually gain more customers, and a larger portion of that market. I am talking about priming consumers how to subconsciously shop by precise marketing tactics that show symbolism of freshness and purity.

For instance, Whole Foods Market strategically places fresh flowers at the entrance of their stores to create an illusion of fresh, different and what it means to have high quality not only in their products, but as well as in their environment.  A study indicated that flowers are associated with implications of fresh, therefore, gives the consumer walking in an unconscious suggestion that the store is bursting with freshness. They have dominated this type of consumer priming that positioned them to be leaders in the market, “priding themselves on selling the highest quality, freshest, and most environmentally sound produce.”

Another occurrence is the abundance of ice everywhere and sprinkled drops of water on produce being another symbolic unconscious suggestion of freshness and purity again. There is no actual need for the ice and constant water drops, as it tends to make the produce rot more quickly. However, the point is the perception and illusion of the products being fresh and of high quality and that association is continued subconsciously, with the consumer as they shop. Approaches alike are being implemented as retailers use these mechanisms of luring and encouraging customers to spend more than they need to and more than they intended to.

The point is that by focusing on how to hook and gain customers, is quality compromised at all? Definitely not, as one of the main differences between Whole Foods Market and other retail supermarkets is that they can actually back it up with all the products they offer and high level of customer service they provide.  They have quality standards and are extremely devoted to serving the consumer as the medium in making informed choices when it comes to discovering the best of the best. From seafood, meat and animal welfare to unacceptable ingredients in food they do not carry*. Their core business is to sell the highest quality foods they can possibly find at the most competitive prices. In addition, they evaluate quality in relation to nutrition, freshness, appearance, and taste, and their search for quality is a continual process involving the vigilant decision of buyers throughout the company.

So why do customers keep coming back even if they know they are being primed? They like the experience of going in there, as it is aesthetically pleasing to consumers’ senses and their subconscious. Besides, who doesn’t want better, quality products that aim at always being environmentally sound, and that are good for your mind, body and soul? Everyone’s a winner in this occasion.

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Caulk boards gives illusion and implication of being fresh daily

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Sources:

http://www.fastcompany.com/1779611/how-whole-foods-primes-you-shop

http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/about-our-products/quality-standards/unacceptable-ingredients-food

 

*disclaimer  from WHOLE FOODS reserving the right to change this list at any time. Please note that creating a product with no unacceptable ingredients does not guarantee that Whole Foods Market will sell it. This list is intended for illustrative purposes only. If you are interested in selling your product to Whole Foods Market, please contact a WFM buyer.

 

Whole Foods Taking Over

Posted on by jamesonh301s12

Whole foods is probably the most well known company for selling organic products.  The companies strategy of selling natural foods has paid off and they have grown into an impressive organization.  The company is growing so large that it has been looking for smaller organic only companies to acquire.  Whole Foods recently had a merger with Wild Oates, a competing organic only store.  Although this may be a good thing for whole foods and advocates of all natural diets, it may hurt the farmers that have been supplying the smaller stores.  Because of Whole Food’s rapid growth they plan to consolidate their suppliers so that their supply chain will be more efficient.  This will mean that some of the farmers providing organic products will be dropped and they will not have another market to supply.  This would be very costly to these farmers because they most likely have dedicated much of their lives to their farm and a career change may not be an option.  Many people support organic products not only for the health benefits, but also for the benefit that it provides to small farms.  It makes them feel good to know exactly where their food came from and grew it.  They also feel good that they are contributing to the farmers livelihood.  Organizations like the Organic Monitor are worried that the lack of competition that whole foods faces will mean that many farmers may be out of work.

http://grist.org/article/the-whole-foods-behemoth/

http://www.organicmonitor.com/

Instead of maintaining the many relationships that they now have with suppliers, whole foods wants to stream line and go with a few long term suppliers.  The fewer competitors that Whole Foods has the more power they have to choose who they buy from.  If they think a farmers prices are too high then they can just move on to the next farmer.  That farmer will have no one to sell to and other farmers will be competing for whole foods business.  Advocates of organic food are concerned that Whole Foods is monopolizing the natural foods market.  They are worried about the effect on the suppliers and also about smaller organic food stores. Whole Foods’ strategy may ultimately lower the price of organic foods and make it more widely available.  The could mean that it may be beneficial as a whole for our country, but it may hurt some smaller communities.  Would it be worth sacrificing some farms to make organic food more affordable and accessible? How could Whole Foods make their supply chains more efficient while still maintaining all of it current suppliers?  Would the opening of more organic food stores solve this problem by increasing competition for suppliers? Could the consolidation of suppliers compromise the quality of organic products or would it make them more reliable?