Maintaining a competitive edge is tough for everyone, of course. But for food retailers there are special considerations. A famously lowmargin business, food retailing also involves an activity that, for many time-starved shoppers, tops the list of chores they’d rather avoid. Few consumers look forward with anticipation to their next visit to the dairy aisle. With that in mind, wouldn’t it make sense to find a mechanism for making consumers feel they’re doing more than just buying another carton of milk? That in fact they’re part of something bigger?

Increasingly, food retailers are using custom-published magazines to accomplish that goal. They’re discovering the way to attract shoppers—and encourage them to buy more once they’re on the premises—is by offering targeted magazines, distributed in the store, that do more than include recipes and cooking tips: With carefully chosen articles and the right design, they create a feeling of community, a sense that the consumer has entered a special world with a specific, attractive personality populated by like-minded individuals.

“We’re targeting people who have a passion for good, nutritious food and, through our content, creating an environment through which they see their own values reflected,” says Joseph Barbieri, senior vice president marketing and business development with Toronto-based Totem Brand Stories, which publishes Inspired, a magazine distributed by Stellerton, Nova Scotia-based Sobeys.

CAREFULLY CRAFTED COMMUNITY
In many cases, the key to creating that community lies in a carefully crafted mix of recipes and features, with top-notch photography depicting mouth-watering meals. Within that model, publications take somewhat different approaches. Take Sobeys’ Inspired, published four times a year. Its summer issue included features on grilled side dishes and whole-grain foods, followed by related recipes. But articles are short and each page is packed with sidebars, how-to instructions, and other information. And photographs largely depict food, not people enjoying it.

The British supermarket chain Waitrose takes a different tack with Waitrose Kitchen, distributed in its more than 1,300 stores. It also creates a distinct personality and environment with one- to two-page stories on such topics as “Are You Buying Organic?” and lots of recipes, along with photographs emphasizing high-quality food. But there are longer features as well. Its September issue features a seven-page story based on a poll of British families’ eating habits, broken up with brief profiles of family members. And there are plenty of pictures of people as well as food.

Still, the underlying goal is the same as Inspired’s: “You get the message you’re part of a set of people who value the foods they eat and for whom Waitrose is a logical home,” says Andrew Hirsch, CEO of London-based John Brown, which publishes the magazine.

The publications have reaped real bottom-line results, helping to boost sales. That’s largely because they present food in attractive ways, often featuring ingredients—like quinoa—that consumers might not normally buy. “Our recipes inspire consumers to try things they might not have had the confidence to try otherwise,” says Hirsch. “Another publication might have two recipes using asparagus, but we’ll show you six ways to use that ingredient.” Just as important, everything featured in the magazine is sold in the store, creating an easy, seamless, and efficient shopping experience. And that has yielded healthy results. According to Hirsch, the magazine is responsible for “millions of dollars worth of sales—sales that wouldn’t have happened without the publication.” In some cases, retailers link their magazines to loyalty programs, giving cardholders a home subscription.

To a certain extent, food retailers have a leg up in marketing thanks to the nature of their product: it speaks not only to a basic human need, but also involves an intimate bonding activity—preparing and enjoying a meal. But that only makes it more important to build trust—to create the sense that shoppers can have faith in the store they’re patronizing. “You want to project the sense of dependability,” says Samantha Shepherd, Inspired’s editor.

ADAPTING TO CHANGE
At the same time, food retailers have adapted their content to address changing times. A year ago, Waitrose repositioned its brand away from luxury and targeted price-conscious consumers, aiming to be seen as an upscale but affordable retailer. The magazine responded by changing its name from Waitrose Food Illustrated to Waitrose Kitchen. It also tweaked its design and content to represent what Hirsch calls “a more accessible retailer.” The new magazine, for example, is smaller in size with a livelier (if less elegant) look. Most important is the matter of cost. “People now are more price conscious, even at the top level of income,” says Hirsch. For that reason, articles now include more information about prices of products included in stories and recipes.

A number of publications aim squarely at female shoppers, especially mothers and working moms. “We know [our reader] is going to be very focused on health and wellness, so that’s something we keep in mind when we are developing content,” says Barbieri of Totem, which redesigned Inspired. “And we know she’s very busy.” That’s why Inspired features shorter articles that are “easy to digest,” says Shepherd. The summer issue, for example, included a two-page spread about whole grains, with lots of photography and easily scanned passages on such topics as popcorn and barley. Another two-page spread about grilling was dominated by photographs and preceded by a different recipe for every day of the week featuring a grilled dish.

In some cases, the emphasis is as much on education as nutrition. Publications from grocery chains like ShopRite, for example, focus on healthy food and recipes with nutritious ingredients, as well as weight loss. The goal is to educate the shopper and, as a result, “move products that otherwise might sit on the shelf,” says Radha Marcum, editor-in-chief of Delicious Living, published by New Hope Natural Media, which also publishes ShopRite’s LiveRight magazine. Articles lean heavily on medical research and interviews with scientific experts. Similarly, Inspired asks a registered dietitian to analyze the nutrition in each recipe.

While their target market is concerned about overall health and wellness, in addition to other matters pertaining to food and entertaining, Inspired also accounts for regional culinary differences in Canada. Christmastime is one example. While other magazines feature turkey recipes, publications at IGA—the Sobeys supermarket chain in Quebec—will feature rabbit, a regional favorite, as well as turkey.

PRINT AS THE ANCHOR
Print magazines are still the anchor for custom content in food retailing. In many cases, the accompanying website serves more of an e-commerce function. “There hasn’t been a substantial move away from print to digital,” says Hirsch. “Food retail magazines tend to be things you can flip through and enjoy, like a consumer magazine, while online, it’s mostly about shopping.” Consider Waitrose. While the magazine’s publisher is responsible for several important elements on the site, such as recipes and much of the food photography, most of the Web content is aimed at online purchases.

Retailers emphasize print for another reason. By distributing magazines in stores, they hope to attract and keep customers on the premises, encouraging them to buy more once they’re there. “Actually having the customer physically in the store to pick up that educational content helps get people into the store,” says Marcum. “And then they look forward to coming back and getting the next issue.”

At the same time, some retailers are creating print material with the Web in mind, looking at ways to rework articles for their websites. For example, Inspired features videos with well-known chefs that take magazine content to “the next interactive level,” says Shepherd. Inspired has also started integrating social media into its strategy. On its Facebook page, each comment typically features a picture of the current issue’s cover. And editors are always looking for ways through which Sobeys can rework print content for the website or Facebook. “We use the magazine as a catalyst to drive the conversation and create community,” says Shepherd. “We don’t just look at recipes. We look at where’s the video potential, where’s the potential to get people talking about our content on Facebook.”

In addition, many companies are coming out with content that takes advantage of smartphones and other technology. For example, Waitrose Kitchen has an iPhone app with recipes and how-to videos. Inspired introduced an iPad version of the magazine this fall.

In food retail, there’s a long tradition of producing high-quality content worthy of any mainstream consumer magazine. In fact, venerable magazines such as Woman’s Day and Family Circle began as custom publications in supermarkets. In whatever medium, the tradition is likely to continue.