TORONTO, CANADA - With so many varying preferences and patterns shifting at retail, a look inside the minds of consumers can be incredibly valuable. Execulytics Consulting aims to provide its partners with just this, and recently conducted a study to analyze the responses of 2,000 Canadian shoppers (1,000 vaccinated and 1,000 unvaccinated). Providing a broad scope of how the pandemic has shaped buying habits in the produce aisle, the firm completed an in-depth report that highlights current shopper preferences.

“55 percent of those surveyed reported an increased likelihood to purchase local produce compared to before the pandemic,” said Mike Mauti, Managing Partner of Execulytics. “We also found vaccinated Canadians are 12 percent more likely to purchase local produce compared to unvaccinated.”

According to a press release, one of the top positive attributes consumers identified when buying local produce was that the purchase is “good for farmers.” The research also indicates that the correlation becomes stronger with older generations; Canadians aged 65 and older made this selection at a 56 percent higher rate than those aged 18–34 years old.

One of the firm’s clients, Rouge River Farms, received custom commodity reports from Execulytics Consulting that isolated the data from consumers of their products.

“As a corn and bean grower, understanding our potential customers on a deeper level helps us to shape our business for the future,” said Robert Reesor, President of Rouge River Farms.

Regarding organics, the study found that, outside of the highest income bracket of those surveyed, vaccinated Canadians said they are between 23 percent and 43 percent more likely to pay a premium for organics (of 25 percent or more vs conventional) compared to their unvaccinated counterparts. The firm also discovered that generally, less than half of the respondents said they are willing to pay any kind of premium for organic produce.

To complement the national study, the Ontario Produce Marketing Association (OPMA) requested a custom analysis of the data from Execulytics.

“This research tells us so much about our produce consumer,” said Michelle Broom, President of OPMA. “It is particularly interesting to see the lasting effects of the pandemic on shopping habits and how Ontario consumers differ from Canadians. Overall, this has been a great investment in our consumer research.”

Aiming to provide a never-before-seen look at the minds of future shoppers, Mauti and his team continuously work to stay ahead of trends.

“This type of research can support multiple players along the supply chain as they plan for the changing landscape in the fresh produce industry. We are excited about the findings we’ve uncovered and look forward to our continued research and analysis,” said Mauti.

Keep an eye out for more shopper insights as ANUK continues to report.

Execulytics Consulting