A richer program, better targeted, with more speakers : while maintaining its friendly atmosphere, the commercial strategies congress in Reunion, StratCo Run, took a new step, September 26, for its third edition.
Leader Réunion dedicates a special dossier to him, summary of the interventions and testimony of the climate which makes StratCo Run a unique event in Reunion. Meet again for the third time, everyone felt it, was meaningful. It is no exaggeration to say that StratCo Run has definitely proven this year that it fills a need. Economic players have things to say, things to say to each other. The congress finds its function in being this meeting place which was missing in the economic landscape of Reunion, where can be mentioned, in an organized manner while remaining informal, topics of importance for all businesses. In addition, the first StratCo Run Trophies for commercial performance allowed this year to shine the spotlight on the field teams who bring marketing to life, le merchandising, trade. This had never been done in Reunion. An appreciated initiative.
The shopper in the time of frugality
For its third edition, the exclusive survey for StratCo Run from IPSOS Indian Ocean, “In the footsteps of the shopper”, has closely identified purchasing behavior and expectations during this period of declining inflation, where prices remain high for the majority of consumers.
The IPSOS Indian Ocean survey on purchasing behavior is enriched each year with an additional one-year perspective to better see how Reunion consumers adapt their purchasing behavior to changes in the economic context.. In addition to the online questioning of a representative community of Reunion consumers, This year, IPSOS Indian Ocean went so far as to accompany a group of shoppers on their in-store shopping trips.. Observation of Armelle Garnier, general director, and Manuela Le Jan, customer director, from IPSOS Indian Ocean : the quest for “cheaper is less systematic”, which translates into stopping the decline in spending among the most modest and stopping the increase in spending among the others. If the situation stabilizes, however, it is still time for trade-offs — “fewer pleasure products, less quality, less variety” — in purchases, in a “deleterious environment” which remains a source of anxiety and continues to influence the shopper’s purchasing journey. “Frugality is essential, with tighter purchases of essential and basic products. »
Three consumer profiles
Routine of purchasing the same products in the same store or on the contrary flitting from one store to another depending on the prices : from these behaviors emerge three active profiles. The “smart” profile (22 %) : those on the lookout for good deals. The profile of “hedonists” (18 %), whose pleasure remains the primary purchasing motivation and who take pleasure in shopping. The profile of the “disinvolved” (10 %), for whom purchasing is a mechanical act. However, these three profiles integrate other values. The success of anti-waste shelves, For example, is explained by prices, but not only : the anti-waste product gives added meaning to the purchase. Conclusion : no deconsumption on the agenda, but a general feeling of “frustration”, not being able to consume as much as we would like, which persists.
Innovate after several years of crisis
Inwards : Why, for whom, comment ? Xavier Terlet, SIAL innovation advisor, founder of the firm ProtéinesXTC, an agency specializing in monitoring food innovation around the world, recalled the principles on which food innovation must be based to succeed. Principles illustrated by the trends that will appear, from October 19 to 23, or FUCK Paris 2024.
Two thousand five hundred products presented, 560 selected : the place of innovation at SIAL Paris 2024 allowed Xavier Terlet to affirm that “innovation is starting again”, after several years of decline, and particularly in France where this decline was most strongly felt (-23% of new French products in 2022, compared to -12% globally). “Those who continued to innovate during the crisis are doing well”, underlined Xavier Terlet to the audience of entrepreneurs at StratCo Run 2024. Second key data : 50% of food products on sale today did not exist five years ago. Xavier Terlet has the assumption that "50 % of products will be sold in five years are to be created". Third teaching to remember : A new in two food product "does not spend the year" ; most of the time, The cause of failure does not be due to the relevance of the product itself, but to highlights and "failing" explanations, That is to say marketing and merchandising. Finally, Xavier Terlet proposed a definition of innovation with value in principle : "A new profit received by the consumer" associated with a price related to this profit. “The consumer does not think about quality, but in relation to the benefit of the product. »
Have fun above all
“The role of manufacturers and distributors must be to help consumers control their budget. » It’s in everyone’s interest and, in the face of inflation, the response of limiting supply turns out to be a miscalculation. A study by the Circana agency carried out this year in 215 mainland stores showed that an 8% drop in supply led to a drop in sales of 13%.,8 %. Conversely, where the assortment was maintained, sales had increased in volume by 3,1 %. Explication : if consumers make trade-offs, the search for small pleasures and social bonds provided by food weakens all the less as it compensates for the frustration of not being able to consume more. Reducing the supply encourages the consumer to look elsewhere.
Trends in food innovation
“The trend tree” of the ProtéinesXTC firm has its roots in uses, habits, the traditions. It grows along several axes (ses branches), where pleasure dominates, health monitoring, the shape, practicality and ethics. Trends unfold from these axes thanks to different levers.
Safety for all
Its levers :
– The plant-based food : this major lever of the food transition continues, but evolves. It is less and less a question of replacing meat foods and more and more of inventing new plant-based products., more elaborate and without a model. This strong trend of naturalness meets the expectations of flexitarianism, which today concerns 30% to 40% of consumers.
– THE " sans » : example with “sugar-free”, where the trend is for yacon or earth pear, plant with sweetening power native to South America. Another example : “alcohol-free”, which today achieves excellence. And always : less processing, fewer ingredients and the hunt for unwanted ingredients.
– The health : the emphasis is on protein products for athletes, previously the exclusive domain of specialized stores, which are entering supermarkets.
Food, pleasure and comfort
Its levers :
– The sensation seeking with new, more intense tastes (pepper, peanut, black garlic, etc.), the popularity of natural processes that convey taste (infusion, maturation, fermentation) and new textures (bubble, frayed, crispness).
– The new exotics : for evidence, the success of Korean cuisine, the rise of African cuisine. Discovering dishes, previously unknown in Europe, from South-East Asia and the Mediterranean region, continues.
– The mix of genres : this trend combines tastes and textures with different cultural origins, creating surprise.
The obligation of eco-responsibility
Its levers :
– Carbon footprint : pour Xavier Terlet, it is set to become a new priority in the food transition.
– The responsibility : it manifests itself in the search for practicality of products (gripping, opening, utilisation antigaspi).
– The eat by hand : with, For example, the success of street food bites. It joins the search for simplicity associated with eco-responsibility.
Product accessibility
Its levers :
– The face value : this is the solution for small portions, or even individual products. An economical solution for the same use, avoiding waste of overly large formats.
-The zero waste basket : discounted packs made up of “ugly” fruits and vegetables, but just as good as the others.
– Of the more economical products : example with Lesieur who, while olive oil prices remain high, offers rapeseed oil (80 %) and virgin olive (20 %) (SPHB locally manufactures this type of product).
– The simplest recipes : the brand new “purée ham” from Fleury Michon is the typical example of this return to childhood flavors .
L’innovation, collaborative work
Testifying to the work of food innovation in the local industry, Nathalie de Jésus, director R&D of the Cilam, leading agro-industrial player on the island, described an approach that is undoubtedly less avant-garde than that of SIAL, but which follows the same principles as those defined by Xavier Terlet : the search for a “benefit for the consumer” between nutrition, well-being, pleasure and naturalness with less processed products, reducing food waste, recyclability of packaging. In this approach, innovation benefits from everyone’s ideas and knowledge, it is the result of collaborative work. Cilam goes a long way in this approach by involving field salespeople in contact with customers in the reflection., what “had never been done”.
Sustainability statement : the SICR spotlight
The president of the SICR, Philippe-Alexande Rebboah, took advantage of StratCo Run to highlight the importance of this declaration.
Know the regulatory context of sustainability reporting. Take ownership of environmental indicators, social and governance (ESG), which evaluate a company’s CSR strategy. Organize yourself internally for the preparation of the extra-financial report, which will be subject to the audit of a specialized auditor. As of January 1, 2025 (2026 declaration) are concerned by the sustainability declaration companies exceeding two of the following three criteria : more than 250 employees, 40 million euros in net turnover or 20 million euros in balance sheet total. What the president of the SICR underlined, is that suppliers of companies concerned by sustainability reporting will have to be in tune with the requirements of their customers. Phillipe-Alexandre Rebboah located the issue of the sustainability declaration : rating of the Banque de France, banks, calls for tenders. He described the procedure to follow internally : retro-planning, awareness and training, setting up a project team, assessment of the company with regard to ESG criteria, preparation of the report submitted to the sustainability audit. The objective is to bring financial and extra-financial reporting to the same level. At this level, the Green cluster Efficiency social responsibility label appears to be the appropriate tool : based on ISO 26000, it assures a company that it meets ESG indicators.
Cyber insurance to avoid tragedy
Back to StratCo Run, Arnaud Damour, director of SFR Business Réunion, and Guillaume Desjardins, responsible for the SFR Business cybersecurity offering, addressed the cyber threat from the perspective of cyber insurance.
In 2023, Guillaume Desjardins had given the measure of cyber risk. This year, with Arnaud Damour, he clarified the approach to follow by a company in the event of a crisis and ransom by hackers. You should know that France, where ransom payment is legal, is the fourth country most targeted by ransomware. Cyber insurance firstly has a preventive virtue by forcing the company “to update” in terms of cybersecurity tools and governance.. Cyber insurance doesn't work like regular insurance : it provides comprehensive crisis management assistance. The immediate declaration of the loss to the insurance company guides the business manager in the emergency measures to be taken., providing him with psychological support during the ordeal. Immediate filing of a complaint. Notification of the attack to the CNIL within 72 hours. Triggering countermeasures, mobilizing cybersecurity experts to bring the IT system back into service. In case the company is ready to pay, entering into negotiations with hackers. Legal assistance in managing damages and claims. Assessment of damage and compensation for loss of income. Both speakers also insisted on the importance of crisis communication : an internal, to the staff ; and external, to suppliers, to customers and the general public. The challenge ? “Half of the VSEs attacked did not recover after two years”, recalled Guillaume Desjardins and Arnaud Damour.
AI in practice
Anaïs Sery, general director of Digital Réunion, the association of digital professionals in Reunion, and Jean-Mickaël Gay, CEO de TRF Retail, publisher of software specializing in mass distribution, outlined what AI and data bring to businesses.
Anaïs Sery chairs the Réunion Artificial Intelligence association, which she helped to found and which brings together 70 local AI players. Business applications of AI were at the center of his intervention, just like that, in vision, by Jean-Mickaël Gay, oriented towards applications of AI and data in the service of retail. Dimitry Louvencourt, general manager of Pharma 974, brought his testimony in the pharmacy sector. AI makes it possible to manage and exploit masses of data much more quickly (Dimitry Louvencourt cited the example of prescription data to determine supply needs). It frees up repetitive tasks. It plays an increasingly important role in informing customers through chatbots. “AI helps simplify work and business. She does things better than us and makes fewer mistakes”, more, beyond its practical effectiveness, “AI helps drive innovation and explore new ideas”, summarized Anaïs Sery. An incentive for businesses to take an interest in it without delay.
Housing in Reunion
Lionel Barrau, director of customer relations at Crédit Agricole Réunion Mayotte, Maëva Grondin, director of the Leroy Merlin du Port store, Eric Guigard, sales director of Mr.Bricolage Réunion : three angles of view on the habitat.
Housing is what matters most to the people of Reunion Island : several surveys have already shown this. It's not for nothing, as recalled by Éric Guigard, what, during the Covid crisis, DIY was one of the businesses deemed “essential”. Banking data from the real estate market confirms this : in the meeting, 43% of 9,776 billion euros of outstanding credit devoted to housing, which corresponds to 10,000 projects. Crédit Agricole is the leader with 35% market share. The local vacancy rate (not occupied), 8,8 %, is roughly similar to the national average, 8,3 %. More than 140,000 people suffer from poor housing, 75% of Reunion residents are eligible for social housing and 44,000 applications are pending... If borrowing rates have fallen, the market is constrained by stricter credit controls to limit the creation of money supply. From a DIY angle, after inflation of raw material and freight costs, in recent years, the market remained stable in 2024, with prices generally falling. It is driven locally by the preeminence of gardening, underlined Éric Guigard, Maëva Grondin notes “the strong growth” of online sales. Another observation shared by the two brands : the search for savings in electricity and water in purchasing motivation, and by the brands themselves in their operation.
E.Leclerc and the end of leaflets in mailboxes
The state of affairs, a year later, Christopher Nguyen, director of commerce and marketing of E.Leclerc Réunion.
Michel-Édouard Leclerc's commitment to put an end to the mass distribution of leaflets in mailboxes, which dates from 2016, became effective in 2023 in mainland France and Reunion Island. E.Leclerc paper catalogs can now only be found at store entrances.. That is 15,000 copies instead of the 300,000 which were distributed twice a month in mailboxes. Only exceptions : the toy catalog and the wine fair catalog, which were maintained. The printing and distribution of leaflets represented 50% of the brand's marketing budget.. “We reinvested a third of the amount saved in other mass media and two thirds in the purchasing power of Reunion Islanders”, explained Christophe Nguyen, citing more generous promotions and the creation of a loyalty program. three hundred thousand, this is also the number of downloads this year of the mobile app of the E.Leclerc Réunion digital catalog, constantly updated. E.Leclerc now wishes to explore the path to more individualized consumer information thanks to digital technology. That being said, the brand is aware of the impact that this change has had on these former printer suppliers and distributors. Thus other occasional paper catalogs could see the light of day again, and the solution of a subscription, for consumers preferring to receive paper leaflets, is under study.
Nou la fé’s 15th anniversary
The official celebration of 15 years of Nou la fé took place on October 16. The reminder at StratCo Run, fifteen years of the umbrella brand of the local industry, by Jean Larrègle, its coordinator, had preview value. But it is above all the future which today makes the news of Nou la fé, become the equivalent of a territorial label. Soizic Perrineau testified, director of industrial and commercial operations at Petfood Run, Ludovic Boyer, operations manager of Pêcheur Créole, Muryel Leblanc, general director of Bourbon Packaging, and Patrick Barjonet, general manager of Soboriz.
STRATCO RUN TROPHIES | COMMERCIAL PERFORMANCE
StratCo Run puts the sales force in the spotlight and highlights the imagination and know-how of the sales teams in the field. The presentation of trophies rewarding the best theatrical presentations and the best sales forces of the past year, supplemented by the jury's favorites and Yves Puget, will now be the closing event of the congresses.
