Path to purchase holds the key for Canned Tomatoes

Click to enlarge

One of the top ten highest categories with an average basket ring of $83.75¹, canned tomatoes have versatility as an ingredient across several key growing consumer trends — ethnic, meal solutions and health & wellness. As a player in these areas, it's no surprise that consumption of canned tomatoes is up 15 percent over the last four years², and it has grown into a $1.5 billion category³. 

As consumers fall back into routines and budgets, they are looking for versatile ingredients that can be used in nourishing and healthful meals for their families. With 80 percent of purchases planned⁴, understanding the path to purchase offers an opportunity to capitalize on these shoppers who tend to shop the entire store.

1. At Home: Planning & triggers - Mom wants to make a recipe for her family.

• Purchases are highly planned — 65 percent of purchases are made for a specific recipe, and 75 percent of purchases are used within 3 days⁵. Retailers can start the at-home inspiration in store with recipe-centric displays.

2. Navigating the store: Finding the category - Mom looks for the "Red Sea"- The sea of red cans.

• Very few shoppers looks at the signs to identify the aisle, instead they look at the products on the shelf to confirm they are in the right aisle.

3. Finding the right product - Mom needs to find the right type of tomato for her recipe.

• She glances at both text & product image, so organizing by brand can make it challenging to find the correct type. To make it easier for mom to find what she needs, retailers should organize canned tomatoes by type, instead of in brand blocks.

4. Comparing at shelf  - Mom needs to find the right type of tomato for her recipe yet still be able to compare brands.

• She has brand preferences and considers several, and she has to be able to compare easily and quickly. By organizing by type, retailers make comparison shopping on her specific tomato easier.

5.Leveraging recipes  - Inspire her so she can make it now, and have a recipe for next time.

• One third of purchases will be used right away, so take advantage of the opportunity to influence her in store to drive future purchases with recipe-centric displays.

Category leader Hunt's gives even more reason to enjoy tomatoes. The USDA recently laid out new guidelines for eating red/orange vegetables in the latest dietary guidelines. Incorporating canned tomatoes into recipes increases red/orange consumption painlessly for a family, and new flavored varieties from Hunt's make it even easier. On trend with the most popular restaurant flavors, Hunt's high quality 14.5oz Diced Tomatoes are available in three new Mediterranean-inspired flavors: Rosemary & Oregano, Spicy Red Pepper and Fennel & Red Pepper.    Each comes with custom recipes that play well with their distinct flavor profiles. Retailers can highlight new, ethnic recipes incorporating tomato flavors to inspire mom for her next meal.

¹ Source: NPD Group 2 Years Ending May 2008
² NPD Group/NET, February 2009
³ Source: ¹ IRI 52 Week Panel Data ? Total Canned Tomatoes ? 52 Weeks End 11/28/2010
⁴ ConAgra Foods Shopper Path In-store Quantitative, 2009
⁵ MDC Custom Barrier Research December 2010

IN THIS ARTICLE