Whole Foods boasts gorgeous industrial design, knowledgeable staff and abundant organic offerings, but their produce department is a mess. We spent a week hand-planogramming it to help us understand the problem. It turns out Whole Foods doesn't use a planogram. Which explains a lot about how long it took to make this one:



 

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What's the problem?

The availability of exotic produce (what the hell is a rutabaga, anyway?) is intimidating enough. But take away the planogram, and your already-intimidated shoppers are lost in the lettuce.



Why does it matter?

The produce department is the #1 point of conversion for grocery shoppers. If we lose them in the lettuce, we risk losing their business altogether.



How can we solve it?

​Help Whole Foods shoppers establish efficient produce patterns so they have more time for food exploration. ​



Communications Strategy

Position Whole Foods as the educational shopping destination, implementing the following in-store tactics:

 

• Planogram national & regional inventory items, introducing consistent linear feet of fruits and vegetables regardless of their brand or country of origin.
• Introduce a standalone "Local Produce" section to continue offering a robust selection of local produce without interrupting the pattern of the planogram.
• Implement a loyalty program and use it to connect with shoppers through email, as well as to track and understand the variations in produce shopping by store to improve its planogram.