AVENTURA, Fla. — Consumer behavior and purchase drivers are evolving faster than at any point in human history, Story Arc Consulting founder Steve Lerch told attendees during this presentation at GOPEX 2025.
The former Google executive said the way consumers gather information, make purchase decisions and even the voices they trust look dramatically different than they did just five years ago, and when it comes to reaching the conscious consumer — with an ever-evolving set of health, ethical and environmental values — changes in shopper behavior can be even harder to predict.
If the fresh produce industry wants to reach, influence and forge relationships with this important consumer, it needs to understand them, pay attention to what has their attention, care about what they care about and speak their language, he said.
Lerch’s session focused on understanding and connecting with modern, conscious consumers, particularly millennials and Generation Z. Key points included the evolving consumer behaviors and preferences and emphasizing the importance of adapting to new trends and platforms like TikTok and Instagram.
He also highlighted tools like Google Trends and social media analytics to monitor consumer interests in real time. Using examples such as a viral TikTok from Chipotle and United Airlines' clever retweet of trending post demonstrated effective strategies for capturing consumer attention. The importance of authenticity, simplicity and consistency in messaging was also stressed.
Understanding the modern, conscious consumer
Who exactly is the modern, conscious consumer? Lerch said there is the matter of connecting with consumers who look and think drastically differently from consumers in recent years."Think how different this is compared to 10 years ago, five years ago," he said. "Even in the past year, things have changed [dramatically], and the more we as business leaders, marketers, salespeople, product developers, whatever the role … the more we understand these modern consumers and these changes, the more likely we’ll be able to connect with them and influence them.”
Understanding new consumer behaviors
In discovering exactly who these modern, conscious consumers are, Lerch said he would generalize a bit to give an idea.
“When you hear words like millennial or Gen Z, the young people, the youth of America, for a lot of us it triggers an image of someone like this: They’re walking down the street with their hipster sunglasses on, carrying a bougie $20 fruit drink, and they’re literally — I use the word literally in the correct way — literally taking the 200th selfie of themselves," he said.
“And again, I know we're generalizing in stereotypes, right? But increasingly, these are our customers," Lerch added. "And the way we, as an industry, as brands, as retailers, as producers, how [well] we understand these people and react to their new behaviors and their new preferences, the more likely we are to have success.”
And it’s not just the younger generations who have changed because of the effects of the digital world. All consumers have changed, Lerch said.
“We see it more in the younger generations, but we're all changing. We all look different than we did 10 years ago," he said. "We may laugh about addiction to social media and all these behaviors of modern consumers, but these consumers grew up in a world of every platform at their fingertips all the time, countless social platforms to get information, to share information; it has made them the most powerful generation of consumers that's ever existed.
“They can put demands on us as companies that past generations couldn't have," Lerch continued. "If consumers today only want to buy from brands that they can engage with on TikTok, and you don't have TikTok, they'll do that. They'll find it. They'll find a brand that does."
Lerch said these consumers care about sustainable packaging and that they will look for companies that meet their needs in the way they want.”
“They want a funny brand, they'll find a funny brand. They want somebody to educate them, they'll find somebody to educate them," he said. "These modern consumers, these conscious consumers, they're not limited to the products that are in front of them. The world is at their fingertips all the time, and increasingly, this access to platforms, this technology, are increasing the transparency of the food industry.”
Understanding trends
Lerch said 10 years of working for Google taught him the power the search engine has for showing what consumers are buying, providing an opportunity to understand in real time what people care about now."You will never be as honest with anyone in life as you'll be with the Google search bar," he said. "So, using this tool, I can find out what people are searching for right now, today, about my product, about my issues, about sustainability, about organics, about pesticides, about different diets, about different grocery stores. That's a great window into what they really care about.”
Lerch said Google Trends is a valuable tool for understanding current consumer interests and behaviors. He recommended businesses use it weekly to stay informed about consumer behavior and trends.
Some steps Lerch suggested in the presentation include:
- Regularly use Google Trends to stay up to date on consumer interests and trends.
- Review competitors' and partners' messaging and advertising to understand the "clutter" consumers are exposed to.
- Simplify brand messaging to focus on the single most important value proposition.
- Explore creative, authentic ways to connect with consumers, even if it means trying new platforms like TikTok.