FRUIT LOGISTICA is the leading trade fair for the global fruit industry, and recently presented a new trend report highlighting the role of fresh fruits and vegetables in food retailing. The report, entitled “Surprises in Store”, was prepared by the strategy consultancy Oliver Wyman and presented for the first time at the “Fruitnet World of Fresh Ideas“. It offers new insights into which factors influence consumer demand for fresh fruits and vegetables.
In an increasingly competitive global food market, retailers are turning their attention to fruits and vegetables to increase sales, enhance customer experience and differentiate their product offerings.
In many regions, this leads to increased demand for high-quality fresh produce for which customers are willing to pay more. In other regions, however, the price of fresh produce plays a more important role in purchasing decisions.
Growing consumer demand for high-quality fresh produce is also increasing demand throughout the supply chain, forcing retailers to be more committed to traceability and environmental awareness.
These are just some of the key findings published in the latest Trend Report by FRUIT LOGISTICA – the world’s leading trade fair for the fruit and vegetable industry, which took place in Berlin from February 6-8 2019.
“The fact that fresh fruits and vegetables play a crucial role in the retail trade is no surprise to anyone in the industry,” says Alexander Pöhl, one of the authors of the report. Rainer Münch, Partner at Oliver Wyman, adds: “What may not be so obvious is how rapidly the fresh produce market is changing. Customers expect fruits and vegetables of good quality in every shop. Food retailers are trying to offer fresh products to gain a market advantage, but it’s getting harder and harder.”
The Trend Report can be downloaded free of charge from the FRUIT LOGISTICA website, and offers exciting insights into the factors that influence consumer demand. These include health, convenience, emotion, ethics, environment, origin, seasonality, price, visual merchandising and quality.
“Surprises in Store” is based on one of the most comprehensive fresh consumer surveys ever conducted. Around 7,000 consumers in 14 markets in Europe and North America were surveyed.
