Taste is More Important Than Price When Shopping For Fruit
New research shows that flavour and taste remain the most important factors to British shoppers when buying fruit, and the majority consider fruit quality as a key consideration when they decide where they shop.
The quantitative survey was conducted as part of South Africa’s Beautiful Country Beautiful Fruit promotional campaign to develop qualitative research carried out in 2010. It further investigates UK consumers’ purchasing habits and perceptions of South Africa, and explores consumer reactions to communication and promotional activity.
According to the research, consumers rank flavour above price when it comes to picking up fruit from the supermarket shelf, with appearance, juiciness and variety also important. When asked why they eat fresh fruit, consumers also rank taste highly, along with healthy snacking and its contribution five-a-day.
With over 80% of shoppers considering the quality of fruit as an important factor in deciding where they shop, nearly a third rate the quality of fruit in their regular supermarket as average or poor; and nearly 40% would shop somewhere else if they have a bad experience with fruit.
When asked about country of origin, most consumers would value clearer identification at the point-of-sale to help them make an informed choice with their purchase, with women and older shoppers finding this of particular value. In-store promotional activity also performed well, with over 60% of shoppers more likely to purchase if given the opportunity to taste the fruit in their supermarket before they bought.
