Put Consumers First

By Jim Prevor, Editor-in-Chief, Produce Business

It is good news, and an important asset for the industry, that consumers value produce so highly that the vast majority identify liking a store’s produce as one of the reasons they select to consistently shop at a particular store.

The positive response to this question raises, as good research often does, another question: What does it mean for a consumer to “like the produce” at a particular store?

One interesting query: Is this a set-point question? That is to say… is there some baseline of acceptability that must be reached for consumers to consider making a store their regular shopping venue, but once that set-point is reached, consumer concerns move on to other issues, such as location or the condition of the deli department, and further improvements in the produce department will no longer motivate that individual consumer? Or does further improvement of the produce department further motivate that consumer, perhaps outweighing an inconvenient location or poor meat department?

It is also not clear to what degree various elements contribute to “liking a store’s produce.” Is this mostly about appearance, is it the historical experience with flavor and taste, is it assortment, is it price, or is it carrying organics?

It also is intriguing that consumers at conventional stores “like the produce” at those venues more than consumers at natural/organic stores “like the produce” at those stores. Perhaps the natural/organic consumers are more attracted to other things at their stores and experiment with various alternative-purchasing venues for produce — one can imagine this clientele not liking the produce as much in a natural or organic foods store because they prefer farmer’s markets or various forms of Community Supported Agriculture. The more obvious implication, though, is that stores that focus on organic produce either A) Are frequently out of stock on items or have a smaller assortment, B) Are in-stock only with conventional alternatives, C) That the quality standards are bent to allow the purchase of many organic items, or D) That “liking the produce” includes thinking the prices are reasonable and organic sometimes fails to meet that measure.

The study artfully notes that produce is not an island and that people often consume produce in the context of meals. Protein main courses are often served with vegetable side dishes, and burgers and sandwiches, though less often served with produce side dishes, often incorporate produce right into the item. Departmental merchandising makes suggestive selling more difficult. Here is a situation where consumer research runs straight into the bureaucratic inertia of old ways of doing things. No less a group than the Food Marketing Institute, the supermarket industry trade association, recognized this problem and tried to wrestle with it through its old Meal Solutions Conference.

There are a hundred problems to transcend — compensation schemes, accountability issues, etc. — but the bottom line is that the industry could sell a lot more produce if it could break the departmental barrier. Ramping up cross-merchandising efforts is part of the solution, and innovative programs such as the Publix Aprons program, which includes cross-departmental product being used in a meal demo and continuing recipe series, is also helpful. One day, though, someone will figure out how to put consumers first and that will be a win for them, and the produce industry.

It is interesting that the study finds that fruit is now the No. 1 snack for children between the ages of six and 12. Intentionally or not, the industry has been adjusting to this with the growth of products such as Clementines, which are lunch-box-friendly, seedless, etc. One challenge for the industry is how to extend those convenient offerings into the teenage years when the lure of fast food and junk food hits full stride.

The aging of the baby boom offers both opportunities and challenges. Demographics are always local, so it doesn’t matter to a retailer that the national average is getting older if its stores are in areas flooded with young immigrants. Once again, we confront the question of knowing a fact — that the older population is increasing — and still needing to define what will satisfy this demographic. One thing to keep in mind is that one person’s luxury is another’s necessity. So a sliced or diced onion may be a convenience item to young people, but as the so-called “old-old” population — those over 85 years old — increases, you increasingly have people for whom cutting is dangerous, painful or impossible. For those folks, the same product is a necessity.