Directions Fall 2023 | Page 41

As consumers continue to turn to online ordering for their grocery shopping needs , the National Cattlemen ’ s Beef Association , a contractor of the Beef Checkoff , is partnering with national retailers and foodservice operators to encourage consumers to put more beef in their baskets and on their plates .

Of consumers , 64 % say they are ordering groceries online , with 44 % of consumers including fresh beef in those grocery orders . When it comes to foodservice , online ordering has become overwhelmingly popular , with 80 % of consumers saying they order meals online and 70 % using online ordering for burgers . 1

To ensure beef ’ s positive message is reaching existing customers as well as new online buyers , NCBA and the Beef Checkoff partner with national grocery retailers for e-commerce efforts . Ads inspire consumers to purchase beef throughout the year . In addition , beef is front and center with consumers ordering meals online through e-commerce campaigns with restaurants , food delivery services and foodservice distributors .

Digital ads capture consumers ’ attention through attractive beef photography showcasing seasonally relevant cuts and the Beef . It ’ s What ’ s For Dinner . logo . Retail ads do not contain coupons but merely inspire consumers to add beef to their cart — either digitally or in-store . The ads are placed on the retailer ’ s website and app , as well as placed on popular lifestyle sites and occasionally a retailer ’ s social platforms such as Pinterest .

For foodservice campaigns , ads are created to highlight limited time beef offers . Beef Checkoff funds are utilized only for advertising , and any offers or discounts are 100 % funded by the foodservice partner . The food delivery service and restaurant partners track sales data to show how beef sales increased over the course of the campaign .

One of the biggest advantages of e-commerce promotions is the ability to show actual sales and results . A recent “ back to school ” e-commerce campaign with a national mass merchandiser promoted beef through digital ads , both on the retailer ’ s website as well as popular consumer lifestyle sites that led back to the retailer ’ s beef landing page . The nearly twomonth promotion resulted in $ 11.6 million in incremental beef sales , 30.5 million ad impressions and a return on ad spend of $ 49 . That means that for every one Checkoff dollar spent on the campaign , $ 49 was returned in incremental beef sales .

In addition , a December 2022 holiday e-commerce campaign with a national mass merchandiser promoted beef through digital ads . The promotion resulted in $ 4 million in incremental beef sales , 37.8 million ad impressions and a return on ad spend of $ 13.45 . Twelve state beef councils and the Northeast Beef Promotion Initiative provided additional funding to increase ad exposure within their states .

A foodservice promotion with Uber Eats and a national burger

DIRECTIONS 2023

chain resulted in a 200 % increase in burger orders the week of the promotion , and an impressive 10 % increase in beef sales . A partnership with a broadline foodservice distributor served consumers and foodservice operators beef ads online during their ordering process , and the two-month campaign drove an increase of 32 % in cases of beef sold .

E-commerce promotions go beyond national campaigns . State beef councils also have the opportunity to partner with NCBA to increase digital ad placements within their states or in major media markets . More than 20 states have contributed funds to participate in retail e-commerce efforts in the past year .

Overall , e-commerce efforts continue to drive beef sales . Partnerships with national supermarket chains , mass merchandisers and club stores resulted in more than $ 30 million in incremental beef sales in the past year .

Since 1991 , the Beef Checkoff-funded National Beef Quality Audit ( NBQA ) has delivered a set of guideposts and measurements for cattle producers and other stakeholders to help determine quality conformance of the U . S . beef supply . Results from the 2022 NBQA indicate the beef cattle industry is producing a high-quality product consumers want more efficiently and the industry ’ s primary focus across the supply chain remains food safety .

“ The NBQA is an important tool for the industry to identify where improvements are being made and where there are opportunities to capture more value ,” said Josh White , senior executive director of Producer Education and Sustainability at NCBA . “ The good news is , overall , the beef industry is providing a quality product to consumers that they enjoy .”

Early NBQAs focused on the physical attributes of beef such as marbling , external fat , carcass weight and carcass blemishes . These cattle industry concerns have evolved to include food safety , sustainability , animal well-being and the growing disconnect between producers and consumers . As a result , across the past 30 years , NBQA researchers have made significant changes to the research , leading to an increasingly meaningful set of results .

Based on individual interviews with stakeholders from across the cattle industry as well as in-plant research , key learnings for fed cattle from the 2022 NBQA include :

• Market segments no longer consider food safety as a purchasing criterion , but an expectation .

• When comparing 2016 and 2022 NBQAs , the largest improvement was overall increased efficiency across the beef supply chain .

• Market sectors indicated their companies strive to increase their sustainability and work with the entire beef supply chain to do so .

• The entire industry felt the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic , nonetheless , beef proved to be a choice of consumers , and the industry persevered to provide products .

NATIONAL CATTLEMEN 37