California grocer’s educates customers at the shelf’s edge

Raley’s is helping its customers make more informed food purchasing decisions in-store and online.



Called the Raley’s Shelf Guide, the program features icon-based shelf tags that educate shoppers about current food trends and industry research — and also sets stricter standards for packaged food claims. Overall, the service is creating label transparency when it comes to helping customers understand packaged goods’ ingredients, food processing and nutritional value.



The California-based supermarket chain developed the program through a partnership with Label Insight. The data science company’s proprietary data-as-a-service platform uses machine learning, semantic engine technology, and unique attribute IP to deliver complete and accurate product information for more than 400,000 products. Results were used to develop a set of custom attributes for the Raley's Shelf Guide.



By converting these details into simple and colorful icons found on shelf tags, Raley’s Shelf Guide helps customers quickly interpret whether a product meets their needs, without having to analyze multiple labels. The grocer also created two of their own shelf tag descriptions – making it easy for customers to find food that is minimally processed and nutrient dense.



Also available online, the program is part of Raley’s click-and-collect service. When using the grocer’s eCart program, online shoppers can sort for products using Shelf Guide icons to quickly find products that meet their health and wellness needs. More than 13,000 items in center store have at least one icon.



“We knew that Raley’s could develop a program that truly addresses the needs of our customers and serve as a trusted advisor. Raley’s Shelf Guide attributes will help our customers make easier decisions when shopping our stores,” said Michael Teel, owner and CEO, Raley's. “Only foods that meet the strict standards of Raley’s will qualify for the Shelf Guide tags. I challenge food manufacturers to aspire to meet our Shelf Guide standards for their products at Raley’s.”



Raley's operates 122 stores in Northern California and Nevada under four banners: Raley’s, Bel Air Markets, Nob Hill Foods and Food Source.