Potato Research – Understanding and Attitudes
A major study into understanding the dynamics of the potato consumer was undertaken to inform a consumer promotional campaign to drive growth in the category. Bord Bia Commissioned Coyne Research to carry out a four part process which included: an Online survey, 2 group interviews with millennials, instore interviews with shoppers and significant desk research using Thinking House reports, publications and insight studies
Some key learnings from the study:
The carbohydrate world is being increasingly challenged (7 in 10 people see it being the least important part of the plate vs nearly 5 in 10 seeing protein and vegetables being more important)
Despite this potato penetration is still at more than 97% and saw a growth of 1.3% to Sept 2018 (Kantar). People are consuming potatoes on average more than 3 times a week though this is down slightly since 2012
The health benefits of potatoes are not as well understood with millennials who see them as having the most fat and calories and older cohorts associating them with fibre, magnesium and vitamin c. Interestingly where millennials are consuming more potatoes they have a better comprehension of their nutritional benefits (of those consuming more, 35% are doing so for their fibre)
Younger cohorts believe potatoes to be harder to cook and in a world where they believe cooking should not take more than 15-20 minutes, the potato is perceived to take too long to cook and prep, with many thinking cooking takes up to an hour
The potato lacks relevance for younger consumers – it is not being showcased online in the way other foods are – in an Instagram driven culture it lacks presence-
Yet the potato is very much part of an indulgent moment and has strong associations with family and Sunday roasts and nostalgic moments. While it delivers on taste, these associations are often with more indulgent toppings such as butter, cheese, etc.
The study includes 7 platforms to INSPIRE, highlighting ways to ignite the category, bring new news, new ways to present and indulge but critically educate people about potatoes in a way that’s relevant for the consumer of today and tomorrow
The Potato U&A presentation can be viewed here
Highlights from some of our other Thinking House Insight studies from the last 12 months.
The first half of 2019 saw the launch of our clean study: “What Does Clean Mean?”
“What Does Clean Mean?”, is a multi-country study across 5 markets representing 9,000 people supported with an online community and expert interviews. The study sets out to explore the language of clean and what people look for when it comes to clean labelling including ingredients, nutritional information and packaging. The study covers a breadth of sectors and categories.
The year also saw the continued roll out of our updated Consumer Lifestyle Trends, Packaging Trends and Dietary Lifestyle Studies.