Conditioning: The art of educating consumers on fresh produce

Buongiorno! I recently returned from an amazing vacation to Italy and Switzerland, and in the process I came away with a perspective that had not occurred to me before the trip.

As a produce nerd, I could not pass up the opportunity to check out supermarkets, fruit and vegetables stands and pop-up markets during our travels in these two beautiful countries. It did not take long for me to realize that consumers in Italy have great access to abundant fresh produce, however, the proliferation of items and SKUs is far fewer than what we would expect to see in a typical conventional retailer here in the U.S.

This experience had me thinking about the topic of conditioning — that is, the conditioning of people (consumers), not of the products we sell in the produce department.

When we think of conditioning, we think of the process of ripening bananas, avocados or even stone fruit and pears. But we have also conditioned consumers that they can get any item they need or want, at any time, every day of the year and that products will always be the same in terms of freshness, flavor and value.

It was not all that many years ago that consumers did not have many products available to them year-round. It is a testament to the produce industry in developing counter-season production, varietal advancements, and packaging and cold chain solutions that have enabled U.S. consumers to have a near year-round supply of virtually any item they want. (Of course, there are examples of items such as sweet cherries, pomegranates and others that are not available outside of their growing seasons.)

During my trip I saw displays of beautiful seasonal items and key categories. There were not 10 varieties of apples; there were two or three. There were not multiple package sizes of berries; there was one. Yet, what was available to consumers was perfectly the right mix.

Another consideration is the impact on sustainability and waste. Italian culture is to re-use and conserve, which is evident everywhere you go — and it all felt just right as a visitor.

What I saw and experienced in Italy and Switzerland could be considered as taking advantage of the seasons with retailers not so focused on products that are in counter-season production and instead utilizing in-season items to appeal to consumers.

Variety is far less than the average conventional retailer in the U.S., but you wouldn't know it because what is available for sale is abundant and meets the needs of menus of the average Italian home without having overwhelming variety. As I consider what I experienced, I would refer to it as appropriate variety.

In the U.S., we have spent decades conditioning consumers to expect having the best of the best every day of the year. Many times, that strategy is difficult to achieve for various reasons.

Retailers and producers alike have both focused on having variety and supply of most products even when seasonality of the growing conditions can be more difficult and complicated. Yet, the produce industry has collaborated between supply and buy sides to make the most difficult things look seamless and frankly easy — when they are not.

Conditioning the consumer means living up to an expectation. Falling short of those expectations could be detrimental to strategy and overall success. When we think about how retailers can accomplish both the conditioning and reasonable expectation of consumers and growing consumption at the same time, what can be gained might surprise us all.

Always remember the 3 I’s of merchandising: Impact. Impulse. Incremental.

Happy selling!
Joe Watson spent 30-plus years as the director of produce for Rouses Markets and was named Produce Retailer of the Year and honored as one of The Packer 25, both in 2014. Watson now serves as a vice president of retail, foodservice and wholesale for International Fresh Produce Association.