Hi everyone, this is Stan and you are listening to POScast.

Today we are going to talk about the latest controversy surrounding the Nutri-Score.

The Nutri-Score label is creating quite some waves in Spain as some products deemed healthy by many studies are failing to appear as such on the label.

And yes we are talking about block buster categories. And in particular about olive oil!

Fun fact...Spain is the number one producer of olive oil in the world and accounts for about 40% of total production.

So yes, saving the olive oil's image is kind of a big deal here!

And it's not only about its image. It has been demonstrated by many studies that olive oil is indeed a healthy product.

But when it comes to rating it on A to E scale it does not appear as such.

In practice olive oil scores a D on the scale. Mostly because of its high content in saturated fats.

Meanwhile a can of Coca-Cola zero scores a B...don't ask me how but the result is surprising to say the least and questions the methodology and validity of the label.

The result: olive oil now benefits from an exception to participate in the Nutri-Score.

And guess what: the Spanish ham sector is asking for the same treatment.

Bottom line: the Nutri-Score appears questionable at best and of doubtful conclusion. What is your opinion on the topic?

Thanks for listening to POScast! And Remember to subscribe to our  YouTube and Spotify channel to be notified when new episodes are launched!

Sources:

- https://ec.europa.eu/info/news/producing-69-worlds-production-eu-largest-producer-olive-oil-2020-feb-04_en

- https://www.beuc.eu/publications/beuc-x-2019-051_nutri-score_factsheet.pdf

- https://www.leonoticias.com/leon/cecina-leon-nutriscore-20210220200035-nt.html?ref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F

- https://www.lavanguardia.com/comer/20210210/6235116/nutriscore-nota-aceite-oliva.html

More information:

- https://www.pospotential.com​​

- https://www.linkedin.com/company/pospotential

- https://www.instagram.com/pospotential​

- https://www.facebook.com/pospotential

Hi everyone, this is Stan and you are listening to POScast  

Today we are going to talk about the Vegan revolution in the snacking category!  

Who has not seen the Vegan KitKat news?  

If you don't...that probably means you have been off the grid since last Friday!  

Instagram, Facebook, even LinkedIn...it's everywhere!!  And this is huge!  not only for Kitkat but for the whole category.  

Confectionary is still at an early stage of its development in the Vegan segment.  

Having a blockbuster product such as KitKat joining the party is a big deal.  

Looking at examples such as Alpro it is clear that the first mover has a huge advantage in this field. 

Nestlé wants to make that claim and bringing a vegan version of KitKat is a great move.  

I am very excited to see such innovations hitting the shelves!  

What do YOU think about the Vegan KitKat?   

Thanks for listening to POScast! And Remember to subscribe to our YouTube and Spotify channel to be notified when new episodes are launched!   

Read more: 

- https://www.distribucionactualidad.co...

More information: 

- https://www.pospotential.com 

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Amazon is changing its business model for food retail in France.

Until now you could order from Amazon Prime Now or from Partner retailers such as Monoprix.

This is now changing and Amazon will stop its own service and exclusively act as logistic partner of retailers available on its marketplace.

Now that is quite a statement!

In short, Amazon won't be selling food directly anymore and is taking a step back in this sector. It will now only offer its marketplace to its customers.

So what lies behind this step back from the American retail giant?

In one word: THE DRIVE

eCommerce in France for food retail is dominated by the drive channel. And Amazon cannot compete there against the thousands of point of sales equipped with drive platforms.

Food delivery is different and requires a specific delivery model. You just cannot leave a bag of groceries in a mailbox or at your neighbor’s place...yet.

I am convinced Amazon will come back with a solution to enter this very attractive market.

One of them is the example of smartboxes that we mentioned in a previous episode.

Don't forget to follow us on YouTube and Spotify to be notified of the latest podcasts!

Thanks for listening!

read more:

https://www.olivierdauvers.fr/2021/02/10/amazon-sur-lalimentaire-changement-de-modele-la-suite/

more information:    

- https://www.pospotential.com​ 

- https://www.linkedin.com/company/pospotential 

- https://www.instagram.com/pospotential​ 

- https://www.facebook.com/pospotential

Please don't ask me how to pronounce MERE. Or MERE? I don't know.

All I know is that the Russian retailer comes with a clear USP: offering the lowest price on the Spanish market. And by about 10 to 20% lower. Now that is a strong claim in a market that is already very competitive.

The target is to open up to 100 stores in Spain in the next four years starting in Barcelona where the retailer is based.

The price strategy is backed by a no thrill style in the shops.

For those who remember you can expect ALDI style from the 90's.

That means no fun in the aisles and products directly available from wooden pallets.

Now is that going to be enough to lure customers in?

Not so sure. The Spanish market is already very tense in terms of price and the product offering is quite specific with a very large share of fresh goods. The retailer also has limited experience in Europe with only a few stores in Germany, Romania or Poland.

Is that be enough? We will make sure to follow up on that story!

Don't forget to follow us on LinkedIn and YouTube for more news!

Thanks for listening!

Read more:

- https://www.foodretail.es/retailers/Aterriza-Espana-Mere-supermercados-descuento_0_1514548557.html

more information:   

- https://www.pospotential.com

- https://www.linkedin.com/company/pospotential

- https://www.instagram.com/pospotential

- https://www.facebook.com/pospotential

This podcast is no science-fiction story. 

This is happening. 

Right now. In Seattle.  

Amazon One enables shoppers to pay with their hand.   

This does sound a little crazy and spooky but the system exists and according to the American retailer it is proving very successful! It is already implemented at some Amazon Go locations in Seattle and said to soon be available for third party.  

The contact-less payment system has many advantages in terms of hygiene and privacy. The absence of cameras makes it more respectful of privacy while palm-print provides an equivalent level of security.  So where's the trick?  

Personally I don't know yet. Replacing cameras is definitely a plus, having eyes on you at all times is a barrier and shoppers are not too keen on facial recognition.   

In addition we are already quite used to palm-print identification. Think about how you unlock your phone. It feels more safe. Maybe because we are already used to it.  Then comes the big question: how much information can I store in my hand? or should I say Amazon's cloud. 

Could my driver’s license be in there? What about ID? And other documents we carry around?  In any case I am quite curious to try this new technology!  Thanks for listening!  

Read more: 

- https://www.engadget.com/amazon-adds-its-contactless-palmreading-one-tech-to-more-go-stores-103800363.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAM-5xuGqxzS8xOWRp_t1twHFcB68Yxr5zKpL2ILeuvz3hkZc7K07PIyX-uwCoD2lpq-imnNU5MSJHVyBeYkutUBzbhttCuuNl17VQtyQ7VuAhYGu_ZwUlITbKjMR3JX1fJmz0LnvpC21uKog9bLgwZUGtQHiby84HcABYkimqz02  

- https://one.amazon.com/  

more information:   

- https://www.pospotential.com​  

- https://www.linkedin.com/company/pospotential  

- https://www.instagram.com/pospotential  

- https://www.facebook.com/pospotential

Casino is back at it. New year, new banner.

And once again the French retailer is having a go at the proximity segment.

The banner is called Casino #drive&services and is meant as a melting pot of convenience store, walking drive, post office and other services.

The store has opened in the middle of Paris and its wide range of offering is a bit surprising for the location. I can understand this would be an attractive one stop shop for rural areas and small villages where core services have been disappearing for many years now.

In the middle of Paris I am not so sure. Especially as many of these services can be found online and have little added value to offer in a store.

Then again, I imagine the range of services to be easily replaceable should they prove to be unsuccessful.

To some extent, this model reminds me of the post offices in Germany that you now often find within convenience stores opened late at night and with storage capacity for receiving packages.

I found that the integration of post office and banking services within stores of great value for shoppers. Any service that requires physical interaction such as identification, signature or delivery makes sense. The rest would probably fall in the nice to have category.

Thanks for listening!

Read more:

- https://www.olivierdauvers.fr/2021/01/27/decouvrez-casino-driveservices/

more information: 

- https://www.pospotential.com

- https://www.linkedin.com/company/posp...

- https://www.instagram.com/pospotential

Distribution in the out of home channel can be a great challenge especially if you want to offer a wide range of flavors or gather insights from your customers.  

Coca-Cola is bringing an answer to both these challenges in one go with a simple firmware update of its Freestyle dispenser machines.  

These dispensers can be found in quick service restaurants and entertainment locations such as cinemas.  

The latest update brings an integration with mobile phones that allows consumers to interact with the machine by scanning a QR code. This integration brings a whopping 109 beverage options to choose from! Imagine that!  

On top of enhancing consumer experience, Coca Cola gathers a great deal of data about its consumers. Who is buying, which flavor, what time, how much...so many insights that can help both Coca-Cola and it retailers to improve their operations.  

Such insights can add revenue or generate savings at many levels of the organization. Think about supply chain, personalized marketing or obviously trade agreements.  

The range of applications is endless thanks to one very smart soda dispenser!   

Thanks for listening.

Read more:  

- https://www.20minutos.es/noticia/4555972/0/coca-cola-implanta-una-tecnologia-que-se-activa-desde-el-movil-y-sin-contacto-en-las-maquinas-freestyle/?autoref=true

more information:

- https://www.pospotential.com  

- https://www.linkedin.com/company/pospotential  

- https://www.instagram.com/pospotential

Alternative distribution models should be booming now and one of them is still obviously missing in most of Europe...the drive!

Call it Click&Drive, Click&Collect or simply Drive.

The model is rather simple and has been invented by Auchan some 20 years ago. You make an order online and pick it up from your local supermarket without leaving your vehicle.

In France retailers such as E.Leclerc, Carrefour or Auchan have rushed into this distribution model many years ago and with a stunning success! Even before the Covid-era the channel was growing strongly and topped over 50% growth in 2020.

Overall the drive market now accounts for over 8% market share in food retail in France.

And this spectacular growth is said to go on thanks to the development of proximity walking drives that proved very successful during lockdowns.

So one question remains: why is the channel absent in the rest of Europe?

In Spain some local initiatives have shown retailers offering drive through models but that remains extremely limited. Some retailers such as Decathlon have developed the Click&Collect model but you still need to enter the shopping center to collect your goods.

At POS Potential we are very curious to see how a model that quickly reached over 5.000 stores in France is going to expend through Europe!

Thanks for listening!

Read more:

- https://www.elespanol.com/invertia/empresas/distribucion/20210124/click-drive-nueva-normalidad-quedara-centros-comerciales/553445250_0.html

- https://www.bfmtv.com/economie/grande-distribution-le-drive-affiche-une-progression-fulgurante-en-2020_AN-202011240237.html

more information: 

- https://www.pospotential.com

- https://www.linkedin.com/company/pospotential

- https://www.instagram.com/pospotential

Amazon has long been famous for its very generous returns policy.

Did you ever experience issues with returns when buying from Amazon?

I personally cannot remember any!

Even for expensive items Amazon has a "no questions asked" policy and manages returns swiftly.

Amazon is now taking the policy one notch higher with a "keep it and get your money back" approach.

And it all comes down to the cost of managing these returns.

In many cases it is just not worth it and Amazon is using artificial intelligence to detect which products can be given away for free instead of processing the return.

Think about all the moving parts involved in this operation:

Too many cost factors that might not always overweight the benefit of the sale.

Simply giving away the product can be cheaper and potentially increase customer loyalty.

Do you think this is the way forward in eCommerce or is it simply another trick in the book from Amazon to lure some more customers in?

Leave your comments below!

Thanks for listening!

https://www.wsj.com/articles/amazon-walmart-tell-consumers-to-skip-returns-of-unwanted-items-11610274600?mod=pls_whats_news_us_business_f

https://cincodias.elpais.com/cincodias/2021/01/18/lifestyle/1610993726_845752.html

more information: 

- https://www.pospotential.com

- https://www.linkedin.com/company/pospotential

- https://www.instagram.com/pospotential

Walmart is shaking the home delivery scene with a very interesting partnership with Home Valet.

Home Valet is US start-up that offers smart boxes for grocery home delivery.

These smart boxes sit outside your home and can be opened remotely by the delivery team. Inside you find three compartments to store items depending on their cooling needs. That would be frozen, refrigerated or pantry.

The venture clearly aims at intensifying the home delivery channel and offers interesting alternatives for customers that want to shop online but cannot take deliveries.

Walmart has already been very active on this scene trying to find ways to develop the eCommerce channel. This collaboration with Home Valet puts part of the responsibility on the customer's end and we know how important that is in eCommerce grocery retail.

Successful business models in the eCommerce grocery retail include "cost-sharing" between retailers and consumers. Take for instance the drive format. It's successful because both parties make an effort. Retailers do the picking and consumers do the delivery. Simple yet effective.

Thanks for listening!

more information: 

- https://www.pospotential.com

- https://www.linkedin.com/company/pospotential

- https://www.instagram.com/pospotential