Do Shoppers Care About Product Attributes and Ingredients?
Each year, the Food Marketing Institute (FMI) publishes a study called “U.S. Grocery Shopper Trends: Future Outlook.” The 20-page report gives dozens of insights and interesting perspective on what shoppers eat, how they eat and how they buy/get food.
In a continuation of the series, Team News breaks down the lengthy study into bite-sized bits of delicious details to help AFS team members and retailers better understand the habits and trends of today’s shoppers. Additionally, readers will get additional insight from experts at AFS.
Here’s today’s fact from FMI:
When evaluating food products, most American shoppers report watching out for attributes they prefer to avoid or minimize, such as sugar or salt. Older shoppers tend to have more specific items they avoid, while younger shoppers tend to focus more on positive inclusions or certifications, such as organic or fair trade. Overall, however, the trend this year is toward fewer areas of concern. This doesn’t necessarily mean less label reading, but it does mean that health claims have become less salient and intentional in shopper decision-making. Shoppers may be relying more on trusted brands, product narrative or other cues to assess healthfulness.
“We work diligently with our vendors to provide the products with the attributes our customers are after,” said Fedra Chappell, senior category manager. “We want to help shoppers easily find the products they want to support their lifestyles. Our ONSHELF initiative [Organic, Natural, Specialty, Healthy, Ethnic, Local Foods] is part of this ongoing effort.”