Which elements can improve the purchasing process in the fruit and vegetables department?
BrainSigns in collaboration with Agroter, a consulting company specializing in the marketing of fresh food products, conducted a study to investigate the purchasing dynamics of the fruit and vegetable category and to better understand what can help promote sales and create a more immersive experience. In 2016, it was the first study applied with neuromarketing techniques in Italy.
The participants, equipped with a shopping cart and a shopping list, visited some departments of a supermarket in Rome: biscuits, detergents and fruit and vegetables. During the test they wore sensors to record electroencephalographic signals (EEG) and track their gaze (Eye-Tracker), followed by short interviews.
The use of these technologies allowed the researchers to measure the emotional level, cognitive engagement and attentional focus of participants in different departments and under different conditions of layout, packaging and the presence of promoters at the store entrance.
Agroter, focusing on the fruit and vegetable sector, was aware of the real decrease in fruit and vegetables consumption, despite data from traditional research suggesting the opposite.
According to the Agroter Fruit and Vegetable Monitor, over eleven years of interviews with purchasing managers, the perception of increased consumption prevailed. For this reason, it was decided to investigate this phenomenon through neuroscientific technologies, pursuing the following objectives:
- explore the effect of the visual attention elicited by different apple packaging on consumer behaviour
- understand how different product placement strategies on the shelves, can affect the consumer behaviour
- study the impact of promoters outside the store
This Neuromarketing study showed that innovative packaging, simplicity, display clarity and the element of “reassurance”, in this case provided by the promoter at the supermarket entrance, can significantly improve customer satisfaction.
Managers and communication experts can consider these research insights for a future relaunch of the fruit and vegetable department.
The promotion of fruit and vegetables is certainly a challenging and very complex task, but this neuromarketing study clearly demonstrates that it is possible to improve. Even a short experiment highlighted key elements that are not detectable through traditional analysis techniques which typically require more time.
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