Getting fresh: Consumers want more high-quality ready-to-eat options
While US consumers shop for fresh foods less often than their counterparts overseas (1.4 times a week vs global average of 2.5 times a week), the state of the produce department is the single most important criterion for three out of four (74%) grocery shoppers in choosing where to shop for groceries, claims Packaged Facts.
Other product areas in order of importance are fresh meat/poultry/seafood (60%), store brand products (36%), local farm foods/produce (35%), and the in-store bakery (29%).
29% of shoppers would like food stores to feature more ready-to-eat meal items
Meanwhile, about 13% of shoppers sampled food in-store during their most recent shopping trip, and more than 10% used stores’ recipe/menu/cooking information while they were shopping.
Around 36% of grocery shoppers purchased items from the in-store bakery on their most recent grocery shopping trip, 23% bought items from the deli counter, and 16% purchased cheese from the specialty/imported cheese department, says Packaged Facts, which says gross margins on in-store deli and bakery counter items can top 45% compared with an average of 21% of center-of-store items.
14% purchased prepared meal items from the hot food bar or rotisserie and 9% bought items from a salad bar, says Packaged Facts.
"Despite the popularity of ready-to-eat meal items in supermarkets and grocery stores, almost one out of three shoppers think the items food stores offer are often low-quality; only 23% disagree with this sentiment. Nonetheless, 29% of shoppers would like food stores to feature more ready-to-eat meal items."
