For more than three-out-of-four Americans, apples and apple beverages fill the dual purpose of being a “better-for-you” food, and a fruit that integrates easily into hectic lifestyles, according to a groundbreaking report released today titled Apples: The Next Superfruit. The report is based on a poll conducted by SupermarketGuru.com, a leading online resource featuring consumer information about marketing issues and consumer trends.
Phil Lempert, a food, consumer and marketing trends analyst and CEO of The Lempert Report and SupermarketGuru.com, created the survey about apples on behalf of the U.S. Apple Association.
“Apples are a year round fruit and consumer willingness to buy, eat and serve more apples is a vast opportunity for retailers,” says Phil. “Merchants already display apples prominently as a stage-setter, but now they need to think further about how to tap into this mindset that apples are a ‘superfruit’ and great for a person’s health and overall wellness.”
Between December 2009 and February 2010, SupermarketGuru.com conducted a national consumer panel on its website. In all, 1,021 chief household shoppers detailed their beliefs about apples and apple products with regard to nutrition, health, eating habits, merchandising influences and more.
The SupermarketGuru.com consumer panel is an opt-in food-involved population of more than 94,000 shoppers that pre-registered with the site and submitted their confidential demographic information.
When asked to rate ten individual fruits separately on a scale of one-to-10 (1 is most healthful, 10 is least healthful), survey respondents showed their strongest conviction for three particular fruits: blueberries, apples and pomegranates. 64 percent rated apples a one, two or three on the scale of one-to-10.
Nine-out-of-10 consumers said a resounding ‘Yes’ when asked this question: If you or someone you know is trying to eat healthier in 2010, have you considered apples and apple products as a regular part a healthier diet?”
Once the survey disclosed that scientific evidence supports the health statements about apples, overwhelming majorities of adults who took this survey said they will buy and serve apples to their families and house guests more often.
Phil emphasizes, “The magnitude of their response reflects their desire to eat healthfully-and the ability of apples to help them do that because of their nutritional makeup, portability, affordability and accessibility.”
Phil says this is a message to retailers. “There is a terrific merchandising opportunity here. They can put apples and apple products throughout the stores. 78 percent of consumers perceive the bountiful display bins as the number one way retailers promote the healthfulness of apples and apple products. Results also showed consumers were hard-pressed to name other tactics used to promote a healthfulness message.”
When asked about the survey results, Nancy Foster, President and CEO, U.S. Apple Association, states “This groundbreaking report helps the American apple industry connect with their customers by better understanding what they’re thinking and how to communicate with them about enjoying this delicious ‘superfruit’ in all of its forms-fresh or processed.”
