Salami and cold cuts department, either assisted by staff or self-service, is one of those that qualify a supermarket. Therefore, it is relevant as for both size of quality assortment, and skill and professionalism of the staff. Delicatessen department in general, and therefore the one concerning salami and cold cuts, has undergone profound transformations. As the shop has become an experience for 'gourmets', the level of assortment in this department is higher than it happened in the past, focusing significantly on niche and local products. All this is also helped by the fact that in Italy there is certainly not a lack of choice in the processing of sausages and seasoned products. As for design, the department is increasingly appealing and mostly suggests an atmosphere that reminds a market, where the operators at the counter, if they are good and prepared, always make the difference. The product must be told both by the seller and through communication to the consumer, and here such new technologies as proximity marketing are becoming increasingly important.
Within the supermarkets, a partial transfer of sales volumes from the assisted counter with qualified personnel to self-service in simple refrigerated containers is recorded. As for self-service, the growth concerning these sales is mainly driven by cold cuts.
The assisted counter with staff remains strategic, and it is crucial to look after it with high quality proposals, because of its role in terms of customer loyalty. It is characterized by a specific offer concerning market niches and regional typologies, whose sales are more effective through the advice of specialized personnel, who assist and guide the customer to the purchase and advise on the best times of consumption. So, the exhibition has to enhance the excellences, with fittings that remind tradition and craftsmanship, to help perceive both quality and specialization of the store.
In the domain of self-service, the objective consists in covering, with a wide and varied assortment, all the needs expressed by the consumer, by offering reasonable prices with constant quality over time.
