Australian consumers are exploring new frontiers in grocery shopping, with one in eight Australians purchasing vegetables online, according to the latest consumer research data from Project Harvest.
The study also found that the convenience of online shopping is winning Australians over, with the majority of consumers who shop online saying that the ease with which they can buy online is a key driver.
“When asked their reasons for buying vegetables online, the overwhelming majority of consumers listed ‘convenience’,” said Kurt Hermann, assistant manager – industry development, AusVeg.
“We’ve also found that Australians continue to support buying Australian, and that online shopping is a part of this strategy, with respondents’ comments suggesting that consumers make a link between buying online and supporting local growers,” said Hermann.
The Project Harvest research also noted that convenience is driving other changes to the way Australians buy vegetables.
“With time becoming a precious commodity, we’ve found that Australians are looking for quicker and simpler ways of getting vegetables into their diet,” he said.
“This can take the form of online shopping, as shown by the 33 per cent of online shoppers who buy vegetables online at least once a fortnight, but it can also take the form of buying pre-cut and pre-packaged produce instore.
“In celery consumption, for example, research shows that 40 per cent of consumers are buying pre-packaged celery, be that half celery, celery stalks, or celery hearts. This wave of data also shows an increase in purchases of trays of zucchini, from 11 per cent of consumers in August to 18 per cent of consumers in December.
“All Australians should be enjoying the health and wellbeing benefits that a vegetable rich diet can provide, and as this research shows, they can take advantage of a range of convenient options to make this happen.”
