CHICAGO – A study recently released by Label Insight and FMI – The Food Industry Association found that 64% of grocery shoppers who have adopted online shopping are highly focused on buying products for diets or other health-related programs.
The report, Transparency Trends: Omnichannel Grocery Shopping from the Consumer Perspective, also found that 90% of omnichannel grocery shoppers always or sometimes search a product's label or description online to make sure foods meet the goals of their diet.
"Given how the grocery landscape has evolved due to COVID-19, customer expectations have reached new heights, especially when it comes to their focus on health and wellness," said Tim Whiting, vice president of marketing at Label Insight. "It's crucial for grocers and CPG brands to leverage the right technology to provide detailed product information that's most relevant to omnichannel grocery shoppers based on their diet and health goals."
The findings from the study also showed that more than one-half (53%) of omnichannel shoppers say it is either challenging or extremely challenging to make sure a product meets the goals of their diet or wellness program. In fact, only 18% of shoppers say they never run into a challenge.
Other key findings from the report include:
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Omnichannel grocery shoppers are health-driven: 67% of online shoppers place a high level of importance on the health benefits of products.
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Providing in-depth nutritional information is a must-have: Online shoppers prioritize dietary claims such as fat-free, sugar-free, high fiber, etc. (58%) and dietary or health-related programs such as Keto, Paleo, and others (45%).
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Consumers crave healthy, diet-specific options: 73% of online shoppers say general nutrition facts such as calories, sugar, fat, and protein are important considerations. The most selected choices were low or no sugar (25%), high protein (21%), and low carb (20%).