Last spring the long-forecasted switch to online grocery happened overnight. The pandemic has reshaped the habits of even the most fiercely loyal-to-the-store shoppers as social distancing became a key line of defense against infection. Shoppers of all ages and backgrounds increased the number of groceries they were buying online. According to FMI, online grocery sales have tripled. Now a year into the pandemic and a year of record grocery sales, it is unclear how consumers will respond as their schools, offices and favorite restaurants open back up.

There is no denying 2020 was a windfall for the grocery industry, but the reality is that produce did not see equivalent sales gains that other grocery items saw over the past year.

So maybe, just maybe, team produce was a little late to the online shopping party. In our defense, pre-COVID-19 numbers and our shoppers just weren’t online. Even though I myself was an early adopter of click-and-collect, I still felt the need to personally squeeze-and-select my produce items. Statistics showed that I wasn’t the only shopper who had this same reservation for buying fresh produce items online.

My first 100 percent online total store order was placed in March of 2020. I joined the wave of other shoppers clamoring to make sense of the history we were living through. I am certain that order broke every predictive algorithm created from my years of loyalty purchase history. My cart was full, and my expectations were low. Looking back, I was grateful for each substitution and truly surprised at the quality of the fresh items that arrived. Fast forward to today with a post-pandemic future in sight, my shopping habits and elevated expectations reflect that optimism.

I am back to my choosy produce standards. Shoppers everywhere are starting to have choices again on how to feed themselves. What we do next will shape how much of those meal dollars stay in grocery and within in the produce department.

I don’t think anyone will argue that shopping for fresh produce online is a very different experience than pushing a cart through the produce department. Some surveys have found that shoppers purchase less fresh produce online than during in-store visits and that shoppers feel they have fewer fresh produce selection options available when shopping online vs. shopping in-store. Since shoppers don’t seem to be shying away from their online buying habits, brands and category leaders need to reshape shoppers’ perceptions while shopping for fresh produce.

I know we all have more than our fair share of work to do these days but it’s high time to break out of our silos and help improve the e-commerce shopping experience. Produce experts, your knowledge is needed to realize the full potential of the online shopping experience everywhere. Consider what you can add that would make your items or category stand out? The following outlines opportunities to consider when looking to improve online shopping for fresh produce.

Highlight new and peak season items with callouts and tags
Many shoppers do not actually know what’s in season. Helping them select these items only increases the chances that what they take home meets or perhaps exceeds their taste and value expectations.

Education for grocery pickers/personal shoppers
Buying fresh fruits and vegetables can be tricky if shoppers don’t know what to look for. Create a list of quick tips to help your store staff better select the lessor known items for their online customers. Don’t forget to review the list of appropriate substitutions for items as well.

Tell a brand, farm or cause story
What story can tell that will make your items come to life on screen? Everyone loves a story, even if you are packing the store’s own brands your farm, location, and people, all are important to today’s shoppers. With in-store signage space so limited consider the new online store your chance at a blank canvas.

Food trends
Are you keeping up? Were you ready for the increased demand for tomatoes? Do you know about carrot bacon? Shoppers have been turning to apps like TikTok for inspiration and creative twists to take simple ingredients and make them great. If you want to win here you need to be able to predict, create or respond very quickly to the next food trend. Start by knowing them.

Health
Eating healthy isn’t a new concept, so why now? Consumers have been embracing the food-as-medicine movement for years, but 2020 accelerated that pace. We saw citrus, leafy greens and berries accelerate faster than other produce items because of their healthy attributes.

Frequently bought together suggestions
How strong is your market basket data? Are you offering affinity items to online shoppers? Cross merchandising works but how well are you doing this in your online department? Just like a beautiful display to inspire a shopper to make homemade guacamole for the big game, online bundling might remind or inspire a shopper in the same way. Why, yes I will add all of it to my cart, thank you.

If 2020 was reactive and about keeping up with demand, 2021 will be strategic and about creating loyalty with shoppers. There is no doubt produce will benefit from having people in stores and restaurants once again but there is no denying that online is officially here to stay.

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