epicery : the food business enhancement stakes are urgent

 

Although the survey confirms that French customers have an excellent image of local food retailers and are strongly attached to them, consumers believe that they are lagging behind in terms of modernity and innovation. The primary shortcoming: adaptation to the digital world. epicery intends to participate actively to help them in their digital enhancement.

*epicery published the results of a survey by Institut Odoxa between 26 and 29 January 2022 among a sample range representative of the French population (aged above 15 years) of 1345 people. CSA survey (November 2021): 40% of French people feel that there is a drop-off in the dynamics and activity in their town center.

 

Customers want their local shops to stay open in the town centres…

84% of them feel a close relationship to their local shops.

96% believe that it is important to keep local shops open.

 

…But they must be modernized

62% of them think that local retailers are not really suited to digital techniques.

52% of them think that they lack innovation.

 

TYPICALLY FRENCH LOCAL SHOP POULARITY

Local shops have an excellent image among French customers because they correspond as a priority to their passion (80%) and authenticity (88%). Although this good perception confirms that 84% of the French people feel close to their local food shops, almost 1 out of 2 of them think that they were drawn closer to these shops during the sanitary crisis. Considered by 89% of the French people as more than simple economic organizations, local food shops are seen as key players in the local dynamics, vectors of social connections and of the activities in their town centers, Among the top ratings are butchers-cold cuts shops (93%), cheese & dairy shops (93%) and fresh fruit and vegetable suppliers (93%). Bakers-pastry makers (94%) are at the top of the rating list, the only business for which more than half of the interviewed persons have a "very" good image (56%).

 

THE URGENCY OF CONSERVING LOCAL SHOPS IN OUR TOWN CENTRES

96% of French people considered that it is important to keep them open, and 61% of them see it as a priority. Local shops are considered to be reliable sources of knowledge who must absolutely be able to deal with the countless competitors now flooding the market with a new value offering, that of quick commerce.

Are they really dragging their heels in the digital world or is it a simple question of marketing? 62% of French people think that local retailers are not really suited to digital techniques and 78% of them believe that eating fresh, high-quality and seasonal products costs more. Most of the French people give two reasons for this: the lack of enhancement of their knowledge and the added value of their products. Confronted by newcomers who could move into the sector, 52% of French people also think that local retailers lack the ability to innovate.

 

GIVING YOUNG GENERATIONS A TASTE FOR THE FOOD PROFESSIONS

In this sector where recruiting has never been so high, and although 68% of the parents of under 25’s state that they would advise their children to enter a food trade (especially that of baker-pastry maker for 45% of them), putting this into effect appears to be difficult with many difficulties. Not only do the French people consider these businesses to be tiring (84%) and difficult (82%), they also think that they are not given their true value in our society (54%) and are badly paid according to more than 7 people out of 10 (72%).

Furthermore, although these career openings may seem attractive to most of the people, nobody really knows much about them: 69% of French people and 62% of the under 25's consider that they are not properly informed about the training possibilities that would enable them to enter the food trades, and among them, more than one third would like to be given more information.

 

EPICERY IS RENEWING ITS COMMITMENT FOR THE ENHANCEMENT OF THE PROFESSION AND ANNOUNCING ITS OPENING IN 5 CITIES IN 2022

epicery announces that it will be strengthening its ties with local businesses, considered essential for their chance to rebuild their dynamics and overcome difficult times in terms of modernization and attractiveness:

• Opening in 5 cities in 2020 with 1200 business partners

• Ambitious goals for 2025 thanks to presence in more than 30 cities inhabited by more than 100,000 people, and with 5000 business partners.

 

epicery, which currently has more than 1200 food and table arts businesses (butchers, fishmongers, fresh fruit and vegetable stores, florists, wine shops...), as more than a simple delivery intermediary.

epicery helps businesses with digitizing, offering them an entity and digitizing turnkey solution with access to a full range of communications for their enhancement on the platform:

• photo shooting as a reference for their shop on the platform,

• production of a tailor-made catalogue,

• provision of order management tools,

• supply of bags and management of deliveries with specialized highly responsible partners,

• 7 days a week customer service management,

• full communication (referencing, traffic creation, digital kits for social networks, affiliation, advertising campaigns, events organization, etc.).

 

 

EPICERY LAUNCHES A SHOP WINDOW DEDICATED TO LOCAL BUSINESS ENHANCEMENT: ”MAKING LOCAL SHOPS MATTER”

Enhancing partner business profiles, experience feedback on company creation, training and sharing of information as a way of countering inaccurate perceptions…

epicery provides a platform benefiting the stakes involving mobility, training and eventually, human resources. By making job offers in partner businesses more visible, epicery intends to encourage meetings between candidates and the companies hiring them.

 

 

John Gillot, founder of la Boucherie Moderne

“Digital was something extra 10 years ago, but it's an obligation today! It is a virtual shop window keeping us alive among our customers. Without losing contact with them, we continue to meet them and discuss things with them. Feelings, sharing, emotions are also an experience that we can maintain virtually with our customers. Even when they move away, they continue their patronage thanks to our online shop window. “

 

Already operating in 5 French cities (Paris, Lille, Lyon, Toulouse, Bordeaux), epicery will be opening up in 5 new towns and cities in 2022, beginning with Nantes and Strasbourg, ensuring large scale participation in the digitizing of local shops, considered to be one of the priority areas.

 

Although epicery is 100% digital, human exchange and ties are the heart of their business model. This is the only way that technique can be put at the service of businesses, and not the other way round. The platform is in fact a way of having customers discover new businesses in the city centers, where they can do their one-on-one shopping and establish new local ties.

 

Edouard Morhange, co-founder and managing director of epicery

"Since 2016, epicery has been committed to helping local businesses and we want to strengthen this connection because these businesses need enhancing more than ever before! They are the living force behind our city centers. We are committed to improving the visibility as a way of extending their longevity and coping with international quick commerce players. “

 

About Epicery

Since 2016, epicery has been in the food market, making foodtech available to local shops, by helping with their digitization or by bringing live commerce to the forefront. Based on the unique concept of digitized local shopping streets, showcasing all the available high quality products and the life of our districts, food product businesses (butchers, fishmongers, fruit and vegetable suppliers, cheese stores, etc.) as well as florists and restaurant owners today, can create a shop in less than 48 hours working on a delivery or click & collect basis. With more than 1200 partner shops, already operational in Paris, Lyon, Bordeaux, Lille, Toulouse, epicery is undertaking country-wide deployment. Since January 2021, epicery is part of La Poste Groupe thought its subsidiary GeoPost, and also counts Monoprix among its shareholders.

For more information: www.epicery.com