Gourmet Business February 2015

The cookware category, though highly fragmented among myriad suppliers, is robust and larger than most in the industry might suspect, according to new data from Riedel Marketing Group’s (RMG) new quarterly Market Tracker.

“The purchase incidents in the cookware category surprised me,” said A.J. Riedel, senior partner at RMG. “I think this category, and others, are actually bigger than most of us think. Nobody really knows the size of these markets; we all just kind of guess.” Surprisingly, she noted, brand recall in the cookware category is quite low with only about half of purchasers recalling the brand they bought.

Turn to page 16 to read the first of three reports Gourmet Business is publishing based on RMG’s new Market Trackers. This issue looks at cookware, while next month we will feature the kitchen gadgets/tools category, and a bakeware category report in the September issue.

Rounding out our cookware section is a feature on ceramic cookware, page 12, and how it is gaining traction as an alternative to traditional nonstick coatings. We also offer a sneak peek at Mark Henry’s new line of high-end cast iron cookware called AUSfonte.

And for those of you interested in engaging in social media, don’t miss marketing expert Ralph Pagan’s best practices article titled “Build Your Business and Talk to Customers in Real Time Using Social Media.” This social media primer includes an overview of the major platforms, and some guidelines for how retailers and manufacturers can use them most effectively to connect with customers.

But social media takes time and planning to achieve success. “Keep in mind that while social media can be an inexpensive way to build brand loyalty and sales, it is not free,” Pagan said. “It takes time to prepare content for your owned media pages, post content, answer followers’/ fans’ queries and comments, and evaluate the results of your content strategy.”

Turn to page 24 for more sage social media marketing advice!

Maureen Azzato
Managing Editor, Gourmet Business 

mazzato@gourmetbusiness.com