Supermarket Perimeter - September 2019 - 16

About the research
Cypress Research conducted a national
market survey of supermarket shoppers on
behalf of Supermarket Perimeter regarding
product and fresh department trends.
The nationally representative online survey
was conducted with 933* consumers age 18
years and older.
The survey topic was not revealed to
potential respondents in email invitations.
Survey ﬁeldwork took place in May 2019.
Respondent selection criteria included:
* A primary grocery shopper
for the household
* Must shop at supermarkets
* Must purchase supermarket
fresh produce
* Roughly equal representation by
ages 18-34, 35-54, 55+ years
* Regional representation

An organic surge
Our study also shows that awareness of the
perceived beneﬁts of organic produce continues to have a major impact on shoppers.
Sixty-two percent of Americans, for example, feel that organic produce is better for their
health, and 41% think that organic fruits and
vegetables are worth the extra cost.
Two-thirds of consumers buy organic fruits
and vegetables, and 52% are willing to pay
more for it.
Organic also fares well when it comes to
appearance and perceived shelf life. Nearly
one in three of those polled (32%) thinks
organic fruits and vegetables look better than
conventional produce. Just 9% think it looks
worse on average.
And 28% think organic produce stays fresh
longer than conventional. Just 17% think it
spoils faster.
Last but certainly not least, the shoppers we
polled are bullish on organic's taste. Thirtynine percent think it tastes better than conventional, and just 3% think it tastes worse.
Consumers are also more interested in having access to organic produce than to organic
16 - SEPTEMBER 2019

foods in other grocery perimeter departments.
Half of those we polled said it's important
for supermarkets to offer organic fruits and
vegetables. Forty-one percent said the same
about meat and poultry, 30% about deli/prepared and 25% about bakery.
"Consumers' demand for organic fruit has
been strong and in most cases is outpacing
supply," Moffitt says. "In the pear industry, the
organic production is about 11% of the total
production this season."
Price continues to be a factor limiting
demand for organic fruit, he adds. If the price
point is less than 10% or 15% compared to
conventional produce, demand will continue
to go up.
"However, it's often more expensive to grow
organic pears, and yields may not always be as
high as conventional pears. Growers need to
have an upcharge to make it proﬁtable and to
keep them in business."
Cal Giant also sees increased demand for
organic fruit, Jewell says. But that demand is
often concentrated in metro areas and on the
coasts. Many Americans are primarily focused on
adding fresh fruits and vegetables to their diets,
www.supermarketperimeter.com

regardless of whether or not they're organic.
"There are still millions of consumers just
trying to get fresh produce on their table every
day, and organic is not typically part of that
equation."
Traditional marketing plays an outsized role
in how consumers shop for fresh fruits and
vegetables.
Three out of four Americans say they look
for sales in circulars before buying produce,
the highest of any of the fresh perimeter
categories.
Meat and poultry is second (73%), followed
by deli/prepared (61%), bakery (55%) and seafood (49%).
Overall, 80% of those surveyed said they
look at supermarket circulars or weekly ads
either at home or in the store.
Produce is also tops when it comes to
consumers who rely on instore promotional
signage to guide their buying decisions in the
fresh perimeter.
Seventy-eight percent of produce consumers look for instore signage, followed by meat
and poultry (76%), deli/prepared (71%), bakery
(68%) and seafood (53%).

JACKF - STOCK.ADOBE.COM

*Sampling error for 1,000 surveys is +/- 3% at a 95% confidence level.

http://www.supermarketperimeter.com

Supermarket Perimeter - September 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Supermarket Perimeter - September 2019