Tag: category partners

Mac Johnson, a major force in the snack-food world and a produce marketing icon, passed away on Sunday, December 12th in Newnan, Georgia due to complications from cancer.

How do we balance the needs of consumers and the produce industry, spurring demand but also maintaining a seamless online grocery experience?

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, consumers reported convenience and time savings as the most important motivators driving online produce purchases. And yet, we still overwhelmingly shop in-store, especially for fresh produce.

Retailers know they will have more success the better they know their customers.

The vast majority of consumers surveyed said they’re new to buying produce online. Seventy-three percent said they started just in the past 12 months, and while it is commonly reported that consumers don’t trust online shopping, the survey found that 82 percent said they would continue their online produce purchases.

While it’s easy to see that the pandemic changed the way consumers look at grocery shopping, both in store and online, it’s harder to project where they go from here. Idaho Falls-based research firm Category Partners has a breakdown for that with two new consumer surveys.

Total organic fresh produce sales for the second quarter of 2021 saw a continuation of year-over-year growth, increasing by 4 percent from the same period last year and nearing $2.3 billion for the quarter, according to the Q2 2021 Organic Produce Performance Report released exclusively by Organic Produce Network and Category Partners.

The extent to which the growth in specific produce categories during the week of July 4th is driven by the event itself or if the lift is simply a reflection of seasonal production shifts is less clear.

Category Partners has announced the promotion of Jashon Newlun to the position of Senior Analyst.

With Memorial Day right around the corner, Category Partners decided to take a look back at last year and scratch below the surface of what happened during the Memorial Day run up and see what it might mean for the future.