Surveys of mid-Atlantic consumers conducted by Penn State researchers part 11

Continuing with the Penn State research I've been writing about the past few months, a series of questions asked participants to indicate their purchasing behaviors towards new varieties of fruits and/or vegetables. If participants indicated that they noticed and purchased a new variety of a fruit or vegetable, they were then asked to indicate how strongly they agreed or disagreed with a list of reasons for purchasing a new produce variety.

For the participants who noticed and purchased a new variety, they reported, on average, that they “somewhat agreed” to purchasing a new produce variety (an average of “5,” according to a scale, with “1” equaling “strongly disagree,” and “7,” “strongly agree”) because of the “visual quality” of the produce, that the “appearance of the produce was appealing,” and that they “enjoyed trying new foods,” as shown in the graph below. Participants also reported that they “somewhat disagreed” (an average of “3”) to purchasing a new produce variety because the “item was featured in an advertisement.” Additionally, they reported being “neutral” (an average of “4”) towards “price” of the new produce variety for choosing to purchase.



To read more about this topic, please see the press release.

As you can see by the graph, "visual quality" and "appearance was appealing" are 2 of the 3 highest ranking reasons for trying a new produce variety. As an ag entrepreneur, how do you showcase your new offerings? As a consumer, how do you agree/disagree with these results? What are your most important reasons for trying a new produce variety?