Grocery shopping…everybody does it! It’s no secret that 99% of adult Americans consider themselves a primary or shared grocery shopper. But how has the pandemic impacted the way Americans purchase food? In Provoke Insights’ third wave of in-house research, we set out to track habits, trends, and consumer attitudes in 15 different industries, including produce brands.

Freshness is Key

When it comes to produce, these shoppers are looking first and foremost for freshness. Half of Americans are perusing produce sections at least every few days. These frequent shoppers are more likely to be Millennial working moms and dads. For 64% of them, freshness is worth a pretty penny! Only 15% of shoppers make a decision based on the cheapest price. 

Produce Brands are Largely Irrelevant

Overall, though it can seem like we are always buying fruits and vegetables, almost half of shoppers cannot name a brand. Produce brand unaided awareness is low, though Dole is overwhelmingly the top-of-mind brand (30%).

Recommendations

When it comes to marketing strategies, produce brands should highlight the ripeness of their products in order to capture customers’ attention. For more, head to Provoke Insights’ feature in Produce Business (page 14). 

Download the full report for free here.

Methodology

Provoke Insights conducted a 15-minute online survey in autumn of 2021 among 1,504 Americans between the ages of 21 and 65. Provoke Insights uses a random stratified sample methodology to ensure a high degree of representation among the U.S. population. (This includes household income, age, gender, geography, ethnicity, and children living in the household.) Statistical differences between subgroups were tested at a 95% confidence level. The margin of error is +/-2.5%.