Engaging and Influencing Shoppers at Shelf

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1 Shopper In-Store Messages 2014 Engaging and Influencing Shoppers at Shelf Highlights from the Avocado Point-of-Sale Messaging Study

2 Introduction In-store point-of-sale messaging continues to be one of the most preferred and effective communication methods to inform shoppers and influence purchase. Do certain message themes (for example, sensory/flavor, nutrition or usage ideas) have greater appeal than others? What particular at-shelf messages have the power to successfully engage shoppers and favorably influence purchase of Hass avocados? What are the characteristics or attributes of effective at-shelf messages? To answer these questions, and more, the Hass Avocado Board conducted a study of avocado messaging intended for use on retail shelf displays, signage and other point-of-sale materials. This quantitative, 2014 research examined shopper attitudes and purchase intent in response to twenty specific point-of-sale messages across four message themes: Sensory Nutrition Usage/Occasion Call-to-Action The twenty individual messages tested are shown on the next page. Please see the Appendix for visual examples and additional information about the research methodology. The full research report, Quantitative Evaluation of Point-of-Sale Messaging in the Avocado Category is available at hassavocadoboard.com. 2

3 Messages Tested Sensory Messages Naturally delicious Taste the difference an avocado makes Smooth and creamy Guilt-free satisfaction From casual to elegant avocados add a tasty touch to every dish Nutrition Messages Naturally good fats Cholesterol free Good fat in avocados can replace saturated fat 8% daily value fiber per 1oz. serving Sodium free Usage/Occasion Messages: Slice serve simple The perfect lunch and dinner topper Transform any meal from good to great Make breakfast better with avocados Great in desserts/baking as a substitute for saturated fats Call-To-Action Messages: Fresh avocados love one today Put a smile on their faces serve avocados Make every meal a celebration Avocados make every meal homemade Bring a fresh avocado to your next party *See the Appendix for a visual example of the messages tested 3

4 Executive Summary Sensory Nutrition Usage/Occasion Call-to-Action Shoppers found the messages in the Sensory and Nutrition themes to be the most compelling, with Sensory messages scoring the highest overall. Naturally Delicious topped the charts as the most preferred of all twenty messages tested, as well as in the Sensory group. Shoppers ranked Naturally Delicious highest across five key attributes. Naturally Delicious was also the clear front-runner in terms of motivating purchase: More Likely to Buy Appeal Relevance Feel Good Buying Avocados Credibility Shoppers reported they were drawn to this message because it communicates a combination of great taste plus the sense of real food that is good for you. Taste the Difference an Avocado Makes also stood out as a credible and compelling message in the Sensory group. 4

5 Executive Summary (Cont.) Sensory Nutrition Usage/Occasion Call-to-Action Nutrition themed messages also scored well, speaking to shopper interest in both good taste and good nutrition. Naturally Good Fats, Cholesterol Free and Good Fat in Avocados Can Replace Saturated Fat were the most appealing of the nutrition messages. Naturally Good Fats was the frontrunner, appealing to shoppers based on three key attributes: Simple and easy to understand Important to me Believable In the Usage/Occasion group Slice.Serve Simple held the strongest appeal. In the Call-to- Action group, the message Fresh Avocados Love one Today rose to the top. Messages in these two theme groups had more narrow appeal than messages in the other groups and performed better among the super-heavy* sub-group. *See the Appendix for an explanation of Super-heavy, Heavy and Medium buyers and respondent demographics 5

6 Executive Summary (Cont.) Usage level in general was found to impact responses, with super-heavy and heavy avocado buyers* responding more positively in general to at-shelf messaging. This is good news for the category the core avocado shopper is listening and is open to information that enhances their purchase experience and enjoyment of avocados. This research focused primarily on messaging intended for use on retail shelf displays, signage and other point-of-sale materials. However, this study also included a secondary goal of measuring response to everyday category signage options for Hass avocados. Respondents evaluated three different category signage options. Fresh Avocados was the most impactful of the three signage options tested, and also performed the best with the influential superheavy avocado buyer sub-group: Fresh Avocados Hass Avocados Ripe Avocados More detailed highlights of the study, by message group, begin on the next page. *See the Appendix for an explanation of Super-heavy, Heavy and Medium buyers 6

7 KEY HIGHLIGHTS TOP MESSAGES 7

8 Key Highlights Top Message in each Group Respondents ranked each of the messages on a scale of one to ten, with ten being highest. The chart below shows the percentage of respondents giving the message a Top 3 Box Rating (on a scale of one to ten, Top 3 Box equals a ten, nine or eight rating) for each of the attributes. Overall, the Sensory and Nutrition messages received higher scores, with Naturally Delicious scoring well across most of the attributes. The top message from each group is shown below. Sensory Group: Appeal More Likely To Buy Relevance News Value Feel Good Buying Avocados Credible % % % % % % Naturally delicious Nutrition Group: Naturally good fats Usage/Occasion Group: Slice Serve Simple Call-to-Action Group: Overall Rating of Top Message in each Group (% Top 3 Box Rating) Fresh Avocados - Love One Today

9 Key Highlights Top Messages Super-Heavy/Heavy Buyer Ratings Ratings were found to vary by avocado usage level, with super-heavy and heavy buyers* responding more positively in general to at-shelf messaging. The core avocado shopper is eager for information that enhances their purchase experience and enjoyment of avocados. Super-heavy buyers found the top messages more appealing and more likely to motivate purchase than respondents in general. Comparison of Super-Heavy and Heavy Responses to Total Responses Appeal More Likely To Buy % Total % Super-Heavy % Heavy % Total % Super-Heavy % Heavy Sensory Group: Naturally delicious Nutrition Group: Naturally good fats Usage/Occasion Group: Slice Serve Simple Call-to-Action Group: Fresh Avocados - Love One Today *See the Appendix for an explanation of Super-heavy, Heavy and Medium buyers 9

10 KEY HIGHLIGHTS SENSORY GROUP 10

11 Sensory Group Appeal Ratings Naturally Delicious was the most appealing of the Sensory messages. Overall Appeal of Sensory Messages (% Top 3 Box Rating) Naturally delicious 72% Taste the difference 61% Smooth and creamy 59% Guilt-free satisfaction 53% From casual to elegant 49% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% Q.3: How appealing do you find the message? (1-10 ratings scale, 10 = very appealing, 1=not at all appealing) 11

12 Sensory Group Attribute Ratings Naturally Delicious scored higher on relevance, believability and making buyers feel good about purchasing avocados. None of the messages was found to provide new information about avocados. Attribute Ratings for Sensory Messages (% Top 3 Box Rating) Is important to me Tells me something I didn t know about avocados Makes me feel good about buying avocados Is believable % % % % Naturally delicious Taste the difference an avocado makes Smooth and creamy Guilt-free satisfaction From casual to elegant avocados add a tasty touch to every dish Q6: How much do you agree or disagree with each of the following statements? (10 = agree completely, 1 = disagree completely) 12

13 Sensory Group Intent to Buy Ratings Naturally Delicious is ranked highest on likelihood to motivate an avocado purchase. Overall Ranking of Sensory Messages (% Ranking Each #1) Naturally delicious 44% Taste the difference 16% Smooth and creamy 16% Guilt-free satisfaction 13% From casual to elegant 10% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% Q.7: Please rank the five messages in order of which would most likely motivate you to buy avocados. (1 = most motivating) 13

14 KEY HIGHLIGHTS NUTRITION GROUP 14

15 Nutrition Group Appeal Ratings Naturally Good Fats, Cholesterol Free and Good Fat in Avocados Can Replace Saturated Fats were the most appealing of the Nutrition messages. Overall Appeal of Nutrition Messages (% Top 3 Box Rating) Naturally good fats 66% Cholesterol free 62% Good fat/replace saturated fats 60% 8% daily value of fiber 50% Sodium free 45% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% Q.3: How appealing do you find the message? (1-10 ratings scale, 10 = very appealing, 1=not at all appealing) 15

16 Nutrition Group Attribute Ratings Naturally Good Fats, Cholesterol Free and Good Fats in Avocados Can Replace Saturated Fats performed well on relevance, believability and making buyers feel good about avocados. None of the messages was considered particularly newsworthy. Attribute Ratings for Nutrition Messages (% Top 3 Box Rating) Is important to me Tells me something I didn t know about avocados Makes me feel good about buying avocados Is believable % % % % Naturally good fats Cholesterol free Good fat/replace saturated fats % daily value of fiber Sodium free Q6: How much do you agree or disagree with each of the following statements? (10 = agree completely, 1 = disagree completely) 16

17 Nutrition Group Intent to Buy Ratings Naturally Good Fats ranked higher than the other messages on purchase motivation, but none of the messages was clearly dominant. Overall Ranking of Nutrition Messages (% Ranking Each #1) Naturally good fats 29% Cholesterol free 23% Good fat/replace saturated fats 20% 8% daily value of fiber 20% Sodium free 8% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% Q.7: Please rank the five messages in order of which would most likely motivate you to buy avocados. (1 = most motivating) 17

18 KEY HIGHLIGHTS USAGE/OCCASION GROUP 18

19 Usage/Occasion Group Appeal Ratings Slice Serve Simple ranked the highest in the Usage/Occasion group. However, these messages had narrower overall appeal than messages in the Sensory and Nutrition groups.* Overall Appeal Of Usage/Occasion Messages (% Top 3 Box Ratings) Slice serve simple 62% Perfect lunch/dinner topper 58% Transform any meal 55% Makes breakfast better 46% Great in desserts/baking 38% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% Q.3: How appealing do you find the message? (1-10 ratings scale, 10 = very appealing, 1=not at all appealing) * See the Methodology in the Appendix for additional information about Usage/Occasion results. 19

20 Usage/Occasion Group Attribute Ratings Relevance is somewhat weak for the messages in the Usage/Occasion group. Slice Serve...Simple and The Perfect Lunch and Dinner Topper performed well in in believability. Great in Desserts had the highest news value in this group. Attribute Ratings for Usage/Occasion Messages (% Top 3 Box Rating) Is important to me Tells me something I didn t know about avocados Makes me feel good about buying avocados Is believable % % % % Slice serve simple The perfect lunch and dinner topper Transform any meal from good to great Make breakfast better with avocados Great in desserts/baking as a substitute for saturated fats Q6: How much do you agree or disagree with each of the following statements? (10 = agree completely, 1 = disagree completely) 20

21 Usage/Occasion Group Intent to Buy Ratings Slice Serve Simple ranked highest on purchase motivation, followed by Transform any Meal from Good to Great. Overall Ranking Of Usage/Occasion Messages (% Ranking Each #1) Slice serve simple 32% Transform any meal 25% Perfect lunch/dinner topper 19% Great in desserts/baking 14% Makes breakfast better 10% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% Q.7: Please rank the five messages in order of which would most likely motivate you to buy avocados. (1 = most motivating) 21

22 KEY HIGHLIGHTS CALL-TO-ACTION GROUP 22

23 Call-to-Action Group Appeal Ratings Fresh Avocados Love One Today ranked the highest in terms of appeal in the Call-to-Action group. Overall, messages in this group had more narrow appeal for avocado buyers than messages in the other groups.* Overall Appeal of Call-to-Action Messages (% Top 3 Box Rating) Love one today 51% Make every meal a celebration 47% Put a smile on faces 47% Make any meal homemade 44% Bring avocados to next party 42% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% Q.3: How appealing do you find the message? (1-10 ratings scale, 10 = very appealing, 1=not at all appealing) * See Methodology in the Appendix for additional information on ratings in this message group. 23

24 Call-to-Action Group Attribute Ratings The top ranked message in the Call-to-Action group was Fresh Avocados Love One Today. Respondents noted this message was credible and made them feel good about buying avocados. Attribute Ratings for Call-to-Action Messages (% Top 3 Box Rating) Is important to me Tells me something I didn t know about avocados Makes me feel good about buying avocados Is believable % % % % Fresh avocados love one today Put a smile on their faces serve avocados Make every meal a celebration Avocados make any meal homemade Bring a fresh avocado to your next party Q6: How much do you agree or disagree with each of the following statements? (10 = agree completely, 1 = disagree completely) 24

25 Call-to-Action Group Intent to Buy Ratings Fresh Avocados Love One Today ranked highest on purchase motivation in the Call-to-Action group. Overall Ranking of Call-to-Action Messages (% Ranking Each #1) Love one today 32% Make any meal homemade 24% Put a smile on faces 18% Make every meal a celebration 16% Bring avocados to next party 11% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% Q.7: Please rank the five messages in order of which would most likely motivate you to buy avocados. (1 = most motivating) 25

26 EVERYDAY CATEGORY SIGNAGE 26

27 Everyday Category Signage Intent to Buy Ratings As a secondary objective, this study measured reactions to everyday category signage options. Three messages were tested: Fresh Avocados, Hass Avocados and Ripe Avocados. Fresh Avocados performed well among all respondents and subgroups, and particularly well among the Super-heavy subgroup. Signage Most Likely to Influence Avocado Purchases Total Super Heavy Buyers Heavy Buyers Medium Buyers % % % % A B C Fresh Avocados Hass Avocados Ripe Avocados Q.1: Which of these messages would make you more likely to purchase avocados? 27

28 APPENDIX 28

Methodology and Visual Examples This study was conducted online with a projectable, national sample of 600 primary grocery shoppers ages 25 75 who were screened to meet the following criteria:

29 Methodology and Visual Examples This study was conducted online with a projectable, national sample of 600 primary grocery shoppers ages who were screened to meet the following criteria: Examples of Test Visuals Super-heavy, heavy or medium avocado buyers* Purchase avocados in food and/or mass retail channels (no exclusive farmers markets or produce stand buyers) Order of messages was rotated to avoid position bias. While actual store signage would feature images chosen to illustrate and enhance each particular message, in this study, each message was tested with identical graphics to avoid potential bias related to different images. However, a different evaluation context (e.g. message-specific graphics and different shelf placement than shown in the test images) might yield different responses, particularly for the Usage/Occasion and Call-to-Action groups. As a separate exercise, respondents evaluated three different category signage options for avocados: Fresh Avocados, Hass Avocados and Ripe Avocados. * See next page 29

30 Super-Heavy, Heavy, Medium Definitions Super Heavy Buyers Heavy Buyers Medium Buyers 120+ avocados/year avocados/year avocados per year Note: Light buyers (purchase 11 or fewer avocados/year) were not included in this study 30

Quantitative Evaluation of Point-of-Sale Messaging in the Avocado Category

Shopper In-Store Messages 2014 Quantitative Evaluation of Point-of-Sale Messaging in the Avocado Category Engaging and Influencing Shoppers at Shelf Table of Contents Section Page Study Objectives.........