US shoppers generally give their local supermarkets’ produce departments good ratings for their service, although new consumer research from the Produce Marketing Association (PMA) suggests there is room for improvement and points to where some of those opportunities may lie.
While 64 per cent of the 1,000 primary shoppers who were surveyed by telephone in late March positively rate the service they receive from their local produce departments, only 34 per cent gave their produce retailers the highest possible rating, and eight per cent gave the service a negative rating.
One reason produce retailers do not earn overwhelmingly positive reviews may be that most shoppers report they interact very little, if at all, with produce department staff. Forty-five per cent of respondents said they have no interaction with produce staff, while less than 10 per cent said they had a lot of interaction; only 17 per cent reported some degree of contact.
Produce retailers who interact with their customers may be getting rewarded for their efforts with higher produce sales. More than four in 10 of those shoppers who report they have some level of interaction with produce department staff report they are also “much” or “somewhat” more likely to buy more fruits and vegetables.
“This consumer research shows that we must get back to basics. Today’s consumers are hungry for information and sometimes need only a nudge to make that extra produce purchase. We should think of our produce associates as salesmen not clerks. In the end it’s all about the sales,” said Mike O’Brien, chairman of PMA’s retail board and produce vice president of Schnuck Markets, Inc.
“We can do a better job of connecting with consumers at the point of sale, and this research demonstrates the business value that we stand to gain,” said PMA president Bryan Silbermann. “We are all interested in increasing produce sales; this research shows that while we are doing an adequate job it also offers clues as to how we can perform better.”
When asked to define what constitutes a good produce department shopping experience, shoppers point to both the product on the shelves and the people who put it there. Respondents prioritise produce freshness, variety and selection, followed by department cleanliness, staff courteousness and low prices, in that order. When asked what they looked for from their produce department staff, those surveyed rate staff’s knowledge of freshness, produce in general, quality and availability, in rank order.
Primary shoppers who were surveyed by Opinion Dynamics Corporation offered their opinions on several areas in particular during PMA’s latest survey. On one category that consumers ranked as important, almost half of survey participants give their produce department top ratings for cleanliness, while only three per cent give them negative ratings.
Respondents also highlighted the potential value of product tastings. While less than one-third of respondents report that their stores offered tastings, more than half of those whose stores did say they are somewhat to much more likely to buy more fresh fruits and vegetables. Meanwhile, more than half of those respondents who do not have access to tastings also report that they would be somewhat to much more likely to purchase more fruits and vegetables if tastings are offered.
“Customer service training and produce education for retail associates should be viewed not as an expense but as an investment, as it can generate returns in the form of higher department sales,” said Silbermann.
Surveyed shoppers also report that their confidence in produce safety continues to increase modestly, increasing slightly since February following last fall’s foodborne illness outbreaks involving leafy greens. Twenty-eight percent report they have the highest levels of confidence in produce safety, up from 25 per cent in February.
