Sponsored: Influencing Purchase Decisions for the Fresh Potato Consumer
It is no secret that potatoes are a pantry staple in the majority of households. In fact, 88% of households are purchasing fresh potatoes annually. To better understand the fresh potato consumer, Potatoes USA worked with Kantar Insights Consulting and IRI to see who was buying fresh potatoes and to identify the best methods to reach consumers both in-store and online.
The Fresh Potato Consumer
While sales increase annually during holidays, consumers consistently state potatoes as their favorite vegetable. They are versatile, delicious, and are full of nutrients like vitamin C and potassium. Digging into the demographics a bit more, the majority of fresh potato consumers are millennials, closely followed by boomers. These two groups make up 66% of fresh potato consumers with Gen X and Gen Z making up the rest.
Driving Consumer Demand
Eighty-four percent of consumers know they are going to purchase potatoes before they go to the store to do their shopping. However, only 66% of those people know what type of potato they are going to buy before they go shopping, whether it’s in-store or online. Many report their decision to purchase fresh potatoes was driven by viewing recipes, seeing in-store signage, or in-store promotions ahead of time. This shows how important reaching consumers at home is for driving future demand and how in-store signage helps consumers decide which potato type to purchase.
Online and In-Store Promotion Opportunities
The decision to purchase potatoes is influenced by multiple activities, which can be divided into two categories; pre-shop activities and in-store activities.
Pre-shop activities are the activities consumers use before they go shopping to decide on future purchases. Normally, we think of secondary displays creating immediate purchase decisions, but research shows they are driving future decisions more than current ones. Since most consumers already know they are going to buy potatoes before they go shopping, secondary locations are reminding them to add them to their shopping list for the next time. Television and online resources, such as social media, also play an important role in pre-shop decision making. These two activities are showing consumers how to use potatoes in new and interesting recipes. Circulars or promotional ads are also reminding consumers to buy potatoes. These are used as more of a reminder than a price promotion since about 76% of consumers purchase fresh potatoes at full price.
In-store activities are helping consumers decide on which type of potato to purchase after they have added them to their grocery list. Appealing in-store displays that offer more information about the product are driving sales in-store. In terms of pricing, consumers are determining the value of the product by what they can do with potatoes for the price. Do they have enough recipes to make more than one meal out of a bag of potatoes? What is the price per ounce compared to others? Consumers want to know the value of what they can use potatoes for without wasting them. Lastly, pack sizes are one of the top conversion driving factors of fresh potatoes, so it is important each retailer knows what their consumers’ prefer. The study revealed that fresh potato consumers are predominantly purchasing five-pound bags.
To learn more about the fresh potato customer and ways to optimize your produce department to drive sales, please visit Potatoes USA at www.potatoretailer.com for more information.
