Even though bulk fruit is still what most shoppers prefer, packaged fruit is becoming more popular — especially in certain ways.
Packaged-fruit sales are rising, with almost 80% of category incremental dollar sales growth, adding more than $850.6 million to the category, according to a survey from Fusion. The research, analytics, market insights and communications agency serves fresh produce companies, commodity marketing boards and consumer packaged goods brands.
The Fusion purchasing pattern survey used Circana data from the last 52 weeks ending March 26, according to a news release.
These are a few key findings from the research:
- Shopper preference: Among shoppers surveyed, 70% expressed a preference for selecting their own fruit from a display bin, while the remaining 30% favored purchasing packaged fruit.
- Consumer perception: And 64% of surveyed shoppers indicated that they considered fruit to be fresher when displayed in a bin.
- Sustainable options: Of those surveyed, 65% prefer recycled containers over plastic bags. Many consumers said that the recyclable containers are better for storage, are less wasteful and are easier to reuse and recycle than plastic bags.
As the fruit-packaging landscape evolves, it can help retailers and produce companies to understand these preferences and behaviors for effective marketing strategies and product packaging.
Related: More sustainability news
The study leads Matt Schraut, Fusion’s vice president of analytics and client services, to say that even though bulk fruit is preferred, there is a lot of opportunity for packaged fruit to increase sales, and the industry can take full advantage of this trend with sustainable packaging.
“Another interesting result from the research indicated that locally grown fruit is still preferred, with 58% of those surveyed making that choice,” Schraut said in the release. “It is important for retailers to know that shoppers still have a preference for locally grown. Local, seasonal fruit will sell well when promoted in a variety of configurations.”
The study also shows that consumers looking for convenience and a quick purchase will choose packaged fruit, he said. “And smaller package sizes are trending upward,” Schraut said.
