Australia
April 1, 2014
Are you a curious consumer, a cynical consumer or maybe you just eat vegetables because you are following doctor’s orders?
New research released today by AUSVEG as part of Project Harvest, suggests that Australian vegetable consumers fall into one of the following seven categories: ‘Do it for me’, ‘Curious’, ‘Cynical’, ’Set in my ways’, ‘Seeking inspiration’, ‘What’s next?’ and ‘Following Dr’s orders’.
The research was conducted by the Australian vegetable industry to help vegetable growers understand the differing needs of Australian consumers. The seven categories of vegetable consumers were identified via twelve focus groups held around Australia.
“‘Do it for me’ consumers know that vegetables are good for them, but they are time poor and want to be able to eat more vegetables without too much effort, expense or time. They want more on-the-go vegetable options including sauces, dressings and cutlery,” said AUSVEG spokesperson, Mr Kurt Hermann.
“‘Cynical’ consumers’ view pre-packaged vegetables as unnatural or of poor quality. Despite a desire for more convenient meal options, these consumers will be unlikely to buy packaged vegetables without clear labelling about how the product has been washed and prepared,” said Mr Hermann.
“The ‘Curious’ consumer meanwhile is a ‘foodie’ so they actively seek out new tastes, textures and visually appealing vegetables. They are on the lookout for new ways to prepare staple vegetables and information on how to include new, more exotic varieties into their diets,” said Mr Hermann.
“The ‘Seeking inspiration’ consumer is similar to the ‘Curious’ consumer, as they are keen to increase the variety of vegetables in their diet, yet they lack the time, knowledge and confidence to experiment with new dishes.”
“’Set in my way’ consumers are Australia’s ‘meat and three veg’ consumers as they are happy preparing the same vegetables, in the same ways and often this is reflective of what they grew up eating,” said Mr Hermann.
“‘What’s next’ consumers are the trend-setters of vegetable consumers. ‘What’s next’ consumers eat a large variety of vegetables and are constantly looking for the next ‘super food’. They tend to lead the charge when it comes to trends in healthy food.”
“The last group of consumers are those that eat vegetables as they are ‘Following Dr’s orders’. These consumers may not have had the healthiest diets in the past and for health reasons they are seeking specific health benefits from vegetables and a healthier lifestyle in general,” said Mr Hermann.
AUSVEG is Australia’s leading horticulture body representing 9,000 vegetable and potato growers.
This project has been funded by Horticulture Australia Limited using the National Vegetable Levy and matched funds from the Australian Government. For a copy of the full research report contact AUSVEG.
Topics
Species
