Food shopping changed significantly in 2020, and some of those changes will be permanent.
Consumers have begun to rely more on retail outlets for food as the foodservice sector has struggled during the pandemic.
In the fresh produce world, many of the traditional ways to grow consumer demand for a fruit or vegetable, such as sampling and displays, are less useful and compelling because of virus-related rules.
So how does a marketer or retailer encourage consumers to try something new?
A new consumer survey has answers to that and many more related to how consumer shopping and eating behavior have changed in 2020.
Moxxy Marketing BB #:341508 commissioned the survey of 2,000 American produce consumers conducted and analyzed by Category Partners.
In a partnership with Blue Book Services, Moxxy plans to present these finding over the next several months, giving readers and viewers insights on consumer shopping behaviors, such as:
-How much retail shopping has shifted to online vs. in store,
-Ways the pandemic has changed shopping behavior,
-What compels consumers to try new produce items,
-Where consumers get information on new produce items,
-How demographics reflect different shopping behaviors,
-Ways retailers can optimize merchandising for the different consumer behaviors, and
-How growers and marketers should adjust to changing consumer patterns during the pandemic.
“We wanted to help fresh food marketers develop new communication strategies to address restrictions due to clean store layouts, retail grocery consolidation, pay-to-play challenges, and the continued fragmentation of media and information sources, which all affect our ability as an industry to inspire consumers to try new items,” said Karen Nardozza, President & CEO of Moxxy Marketing.
“Our analysis and presentation of the survey results will provide the industry—both buy and sell sides—with insights and advice to improve shopper marketing and increase consumption of fruits and vegetables,” she said.
“What we found was, these factors—compounded by the pandemic—created immediate behavioral shifts, which could be long-term, permanent changes.”
Pamela Riemenschneider, Retail Editor for Blue Book Services, said the pandemic accelerated some changes that were already happening, such as more online shopping for delivery and pick up.
“With the drastic changes in shopper behavior during the pandemic, year-over-year data makes it difficult to predict what’s next,” Riemenschneider says. “A fresh look at consumer trends is just what the market needs to provide insight and guidance going forward.”
This survey and analysis should provide the industry some direction and insight, she said.
If you’re not yet a subscriber to Blue Book’s daily newsletter, The Produce Reporter, sign up here to receive weekly segments of this consumer trend series through the end of 2020 and beyond.
