Shopper Habits and Your Products!
In the recent few years of the pandemic, shopper habits have evolved. The way in which people now choose a product is often due to other limitations and environmental factors to the possible restrictions around them, meaning they need something that is quick and easy to understand and jumps out from the shelves (an eye-catching design).
Shoppers are now more conscious in their health and nutrition, making healthier choices for themselves.
The front of pack labels is the quickest round-up of nutritional facts/ percentages of the product and shoppers are increasingly using these to make a quick decision.
Below are the key factors on this decision process:
- Time-Saving: With the changing restrictions of the pandemic, most have opted for a shop be that in-person or home delivery choice in time-saving. Therefore, Front of Pack information is a vital factor in the decision-making process here.
- Online Information: Front of pack is the most visible when choosing a product online, Customers may not necessarily read the written information and use this option as a time-saver.
- Colour-Coding: The quickest decision-maker between products is the front of pack traffic light colour-coded information. Shoppers are now more knowledgeable and understand the healthier choice between products.
Mis-interpretation:
The common trending misinterpretation of a product is the serving/ portion size. This information is important for the consumer to understand as it provides the recommended portion size of the product. Over-eating will result in more calories consumed and possible weight gain.
You must make sure this information is clear on your product labels in an obvious place that the consumer is likely to read.
The Layout of Shops:
Most shops and supermarkets are now implementing healthy eating sections, in which the consumer is most likely to visit before looking at other products. You want to make sure your product is labelled and produced properly in order for your product to be displayed in the correct section/ layout of the shop.
The probability of the consumer seeing your product will increase when your label hits all the correct boxes.
The Drivers of Product Choice:
As shoppers are taking responsibility and making more nutritional and healthy choices for their own diets, the driving factors of these choices primarily fall within the information provided on a product's label.
- Clarity: The clarity of information within a label and how it is presented is almost 50% of a driving force in the decision-making process of choice between products.
- Recognition: Consumers recognising all the products ingredients is arguable the next highest percentage of driving force.
- Natural: The third highest is how natural a consumer believes the product is and the claims made to enforce this belief on the product information.
- Ingredients: Ingredients removed or added to make the product healthier is the smallest percentage out of the 4 as a driving force. However, it is still important as loyal consumers will give vital feedback and promotion on your product if labelled correctly.
Limitations:
Consumer habits and behaviour have insisted that it is often more expensive to eat healthier products. Creating a possible limit and market gap between some products in stores. Effective design, marketing and label information can help influence consumers to spend a little extra on your product, if they believe it will be beneficial to their diet and health.
Health claims, a portion of consumer have clarified that health claims are easier to understand then product label information and influence their decision between products. If you don’t make your label language easy to understand and have not provided any claims or benefits, this could mean that you will decrease in product sales.
Understanding of colour-coded system, consumers may think that avoiding all red, etc. Is better for them than consuming some of these foods. It is ok to consumer foods with higher percentages and colours other than green as part of a varied diet. Some consumers did not seem to understand that the traffic light system and scheme were brought in by the government.
Your product and marketing can help clarify some of these issues by providing knowledge for consumers within your website or a product's QR code, to show consumers that they can enjoy your product even if the front of pack labelling colour is not all green.
The Take-Away:
The main focus should be for your product and your product label information to be clear, concise, and eye-catching. Let’s not forget, fully compliant with law and regulation.
As the communication between you and your consumers is primarily through the product and information you put out, you want to make sure they trust your product is the best choice for them over any other competitor.