Meal-Occasion Consumer Research to Debut at SmartFood Expo
The “SmartFood Choices 2018” report, commissioned in partnership with United Fresh Produce Association and market research firm 210 Analytics, will be unveiled at the upcoming SmartFood Expo event set for June 25-27 in Chicago.
Conducted in May 2018, the research delves into how changing consumer behaviors are shaping the better-for-you and healthy food and beverage landscape. Insights from the report include consumers’ views on better-for-you (BFY) food in breakfast, lunch, dinner, beverages and snacking, in addition to how the availability of better-for-you foods influences their retail shopping behavior.
“The growth of consumers’ adoption of snacking and convenience desires is changing the way they interact with food in their daily routines,” noted Tom Stenzel, president and CEO of Washington, D.C.-based United Fresh. “Today’s shoppers are more laser-focused on SmartFood choices than ever before, and that trend is only growing. This new research will help the industry make marketing, advertising and merchandising decisions as retail buyers and foodservice professionals look to better understand this dynamic market and discover new and innovative healthy foods to help their customers meet their lifestyle goals.”
According to the report, 70 percent of shoppers have bought SmartFood specifically for its BFY attributes in the past three months. The research maps out four distinct shopper segments, running the gamut from Core SmartFood shoppers who are well informed and highly motivated to buy SmartFood across categories to the point of its driving their store choice to Uninvolved shoppers who see little point to BFY food choices.
A desire for fresher and less processed items was found to go hand-in-hand with shoppers’ emotional wellness, with the positive feeling they get from buying SmartFood for themselves and their families rated significantly ahead of weight and health issues management.
The report also found that SmartFood shoppers use an average of four BFY educational resources, including the ingredient list, nutrition facts panel, and their own knowledge or experience, when making a purchasing decision, and that assortment plays a key role. In fact, one in two shoppers said that a store’s SmartFood assortment influences where they shop for groceries.
“There is no longer a one-size-fits-all consumer strategy for retailers or manufacturers of better-for-you products,” said Anne-Marie Roerink, principal at San Antonio-based 210 Analytics, who will be discussing the new research during a presentation titled “On the Horizon: BFY Food Trends.” “Everyone in the supply chain, from R&D, marketing, and manufacturing, to distribution, merchandising and ecommerce, needs to understand the widely varying desires and changing behaviors of the different SmartFood shopper segments.”
Roerink’s presentation will take place at the SmartFood Learning Center on Wednesday, June 27 at 12:30 p.m. at McCormick Place.
The SmartFood Expo is co-located with four other food and floral shows: United FreshMKT Expo, United FreshTEC Expo, Global Cold Chain Expo and International Floriculture Expo.