Understanding Consumers’ Convenience Orientation. An Exploratory Study of Fresh-Cut Fruit in Italy

Abstract

In Western society, the fresh-cut fruit market is experiencing significant growth, especially in Italy, where, in 2019, the fresh-cut fruit sales volume increased by 35% compared with the previous year. This study aims to understand Italian consumers’ demand for fresh-cut fruits and to explore whether this trend is also affected by the prevalence of healthy lifestyles. Health orientation seems, in fact, to be a growing trend in the food sector. Research has recognized that consumers’ orientation towards products that are ready to be consumed is not only related to saving time. Sociodemographic factors and psychometric variables, including values and lifestyles, play important roles in understanding consumer demand for convenience products. For this purpose, the food-related lifestyles (FRLs) tool was used to profile consumers. The FRLs tool is a useful instrument that describes different ways in which people use food to achieve their values in life. Data were collected by using an online survey carried out with Italian consumers of fresh-cut fruits. By using a cluster analysis technique, four Italian fresh-cut fruit consumer target groups were identified. The largest target group was represented by uninvolved consumers, who are not inclined to cook or plan meals and who are very influenced by the advertising of food products in their buying decisions. An interesting target group, which may represent a challenge for food enterprises in the sector, was health-oriented consumers, who attach great importance to organic certification and to product information. This target group was also characterized by older consumers with higher net monthly household incomes than other target groups.

Trends and COVID-19 Disruptions on Innovation Management Aspects in Fruits and Vegetables Preservation

“…Accordingly, Italy and the USA produced around 18.04% of all the papers on the topic that the study was able to nd (about 9.02% each). It should be noted that the market for fresh-cut products in Italy is growing and exhibiting numerous novel characteristics related to the overall market, the regulatory environment, and measures for the valuing of local products (Fusi et al 2016; M. Merlino et al 2020;Testa et al 2021). The highly inventive fresh-cut items have a high degree of variability and/or supply growth with changes in market equilibrium, even over a short period of time (Timpanaro et al 2015).…”

Fresh-Cut Vegetables and Fruits: Do They Really Meet Sustainability and Nutritional Benefits?

“…More specifically, the context of consumption, but also the income, seems to drive consumer choice. The consumers can be clustered into groups which vary according to their foodrelated lifestyle, but also their age, income, and family size [40,41]. The groups "uninvolved," characterized by a lack of interest in food and cooking, and "value seeking" or "pragmatist," which pay a great importance to taste and price, are the most prone to buy convenience food.…”

Influence of Different Packages and Storage Temperatures on the Yield and Quality of Edible <em>Allium</em> Species

“…As a result of changing consumer habits, the global market for minimally processed fruits and vegetables has rapidly developed in recent years [9,10]. By 2022, this market is estimated to reach $346.05 billion [11,12]. Some of the minimally processed foods on the market are mixed vegetables for salads, soups, and sandwiches [13].…”