Hortsource Express
Supermarkets, surveys, the internet and Farmers' Markets...how do consumers get the perceptions, nay - prejudices, that they have about fresh produce and where to buy it?
And should you care?
Yes, you should.
Getting shoppers into your store, and then returning regularly for the bulk of their shopping is one of the most critical facets of being a retailer.
Fresh produce is the traditionally the first department shoppers walk through when entering a supermarket. Fresh produce is where Farmers' Markets stake their claim to be better.... and here's recent article to underline this point:
Are shoppers getting a bargin at Farmers' Markets?
The array of fresh produce was impressive. The morning we visited the farmers' market there was a greater selection of produce available than at the city’s largest supermarket. Locally grown oranges for example instead of those tasteless imported ones, fresh figs, persimmons, feijoas, pears and tamarillos – all surprisingly absent from the supermarket shelves. But there was one big question on our minds. Were shoppers getting a bargain? The theory is that by cutting out those that stand between the grower and the consumer the public get quality produce at great prices. To put the theory to the test we compared the price of 20 randomly selected items from the farmers’ market and compared them to the prices at the local no frills supermarket - the one with the cheapest everyday prices.
We found that three items from the farmers’ market were exactly the same price at the supermarket, nine items cost less, and eight cost more. The items that cost more at the supermarket were 35% more expensive, and the items that cost more at the farmers’ market were 25% more expensive.
So is produce at the farmers’ market a bargain? The answer to that is an unequivocal maybe! Are there bargains to be found? Absolutely yes, but you will need to know how to spot a bargain. On the day we visited red onions were $2.50 a kg compared to $6.50 at the supermarket, fancy lettuce were $1.50 each against $2.50, and smoked mullet $6 a kg instead of $7.95.
There is of course more to farmers’ markets than just the price, and for some shoppers the price is not the main consideration – it’s the freshness and everything else that goes with supporting local growers.
So,
What are supermarkets doing wrong in their produce departments, that consumers have the perception that imported oranges are tasteless and that the local supermarket isn't stocking pears, feijoas, fresh figs, tamarillos and persimmons?
Some of that statement I know to be inaccurate - even the local SuperValue has 3 types of pears available at the moment, and I've seen both feijoas and persimmons at the smaller Countdowns. I'll concede the lack of tamarillos though. Admittedly, the location of the market in the above article isn't named, nor is the date. For the record, I'm based in Auckland, with informants in Wellington and Christchurch.
Perception is everything. The consumer is bombarded from all sides with messages about food, and once they get an idea in their heads, it's very hard to shift.
Like the one about the cost of fresh produce, especially that grown locally. Feijoas is a prime example - most Aucklanders scoff at paying anything for feijoas since a large number of Aucklanders have access to a tree, either their own or a neighbour's; while people in Christchurch are happy to pay for it and will even go so far as getting Auckland friends to send the fruit down in the post!
It's an enduring perception that produce shouldn't cost so much, and that it should be available whenever and taste good to boot.
Since the customer is always right, what are you going to do to change their perceptions in your (supermarket and grower) favour?
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