Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin (DFW) conducted a study of what Mike Edge, the group’s marketing director, called the “shopper journey” of Heavy Specialty Cheese Buyers (HSCB)

A Heavy Specialty Cheese Buyer is a shopper who spends more on cheese in general and allocates more of that spend to specialty cheese.

The study found that 6 in 10 HSCBs believe that the specialty cheese case has “a major impact” on their overall perception of a store’s quality.

The study also found that, once shoppers are in the store, 92% actively seek out information in the specialty cheese section, 75% notice signage and wayfinding and almost 40% seek out cross-merchandising — resulting in 65% purchasing complementary items.

“To capitalize on this knowledge, we recommend increasing wayfinding and simplifying the cheese selection process,” Edge said. “Shoppers primarily search by specialty cheese type/variety, followed by recognizable packaging and brand.”

An easy shopping journey with sampling opportunities can exponentially impact specialty cheese sales, Edge added.

The specialty area can potentially drive traffic, as most customers (77%) are willing to go out of their way to find a specialty cheese they want.

Cross-merchandising is also a guaranteed winner. Almost 40% notice and seek out cross-merchandising, with 65% buying other things to go with their cheese.

This article is an excerpt from the August 2024 issue of Supermarket Perimeter. You can read the entire Cheese Merchandising feature and more in the digital edition here.