1. Increasing potato sales & consumption
Key findings
Prepared for Potatoes New Zealand
March 2014

2. agenda 1 RESEARCH BRIEF 2 METHODOLOGY 3 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 4
WHAT IS IMPORTANT WHEN PREPARING FOOD? 5
POTATO TRENDS 6
QUANTITY OF POTATOES CONSUMED 7
WHAT IS THE POTATO OCCASION? 8
SHOPPING & CHANNEL TRENDS 9
HOW DO WE MARKET?
Prepared for: Potatoes NZ

3. Research brief Background
Potatoes NZ is a body that represents the potato industry in NZ, representing growers through to retailers in the marketing of potatoes in the domestic market in NZ. Potatoes NZ completed a comprehensive consumer segmentation study with Nielsen in 2009.
Research Objective
Potatoes NZ want to increase the level of knowledge about the category and potato consumer behaviour to share with the industry and implement marketing and communication strategies to drive positive change for potatoes and increase potato sales/consumption.
Information Requirements
What is the size of the potato market in NZ?
What quantity of potatoes are NZ’ers consuming?
How has consumer purchasing of potatoes and attitudes towards potatoes changed? What is driving this change?
Prepared for: Potatoes NZ

4. Combining multiple quantitative approaches
Nielsen Homescan is a consumer panel of 2,500 household, representative of the population which scans all grocery items taken into the home
For fresh food this includes random weight and bar-coded items purchased from any outlet
Data to period is 52 weeks to 8 September compared to prior year. Majority of analysis has been completed in dollars.
Sample size of N=1,000 online interviews to obtain a robust national mainstream measure. Predicted margin of error ±3.1%
Sample sourced from the Survey Sampling International (SSI) panel which has over 50,000 NZ members. Fieldwork was completed in October 2013
Questions around attitudes and perception of food and behaviour and consumption of fresh potatoes were asked in the survey.
Combining both approaches allow us to segment households and shoppers to understand current purchase behaviour alongside attitudes and motivations for purchase to prioritise marketing focus and strategic direction on how to increase potato sales/consumption.
Prepared for: Potatoes NZ

5. Lifestage group definition
Consumer research Homescan % Buyers
1. Young Families: Adults/shoppers any age, all kids < 11 years
2. Mixed Families: Adults/shopper any age, at least 1 child < 11 and at least 1 child 11-17
3. Older Families: Adults/shopper any age; all kids aged 11-17
4. Older Singles/Couples: All adults aged 45+, no children, hhld size 1 or 2
5. Adult Households: At least 1 adult aged 18-44, no children
1. Young Households: Households with children < 5
2. Mixed Households: Households with children 5 to 15
3. Older Households: Households with children > 15
4. Older Couples: Older households without children / no children at home
5. Adult Couples / Singles: Young couples / single households without children
6. Others: Flatting / other household compositions
Prepared for: Potatoes NZ

6. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

7. How do we increase potato sales and consumption?
Focus for growth is to maintain buyer engagement & encourage more frequent purchase:
Re-align pricing relativity of larger pack sizes as are likely driver of less frequent purchase as shoppers seek value
Create better value perception outside of pricing; versatility, complementary, ease
Increase appeal and relevance of fresh potatoes for category consumers:
Create more excitement through relevant occasions for young shoppers (target shoppers < 35 years)
Bring together strong perceptions of fresh and natural to modernise flavour and taste
Address barriers to consumption:
Young singles and couples – difficult preparation and extravagance
Mixed households need to be convinced of the convenience from eating potato dishes
Health and weight management – continue to convert (3% increased consumption from knowing of health benefits)
Prepared for: Potatoes NZ

8. How do we increase potato sales and consumption?
Use marketing & communications mix to:
Deliver messages to families around value & convenience to compete with rice and pasta
Encourage usage as versatile ingredient in ethnic foods and less traditional meals, target <35yrs
Increase knowledge of health benefits
Teach shoppers how to use fresh potatoes to make chips/wedges, ingredients in pies/stews, to increase family appeal
Activate: in-store and outside the retailer:
More accessibility to relevant messages in-store such as cooking instructions and meal ideas to encourage all segments
Easy pre-prepared cut/seasoned potato offer located in the produce section to complement frozen offer - target households with children
Prepared for: Potatoes NZ

9. What is important when preparing food?

10. How important is fresh food?
Food sector accounts for one third of NZ’ers retail spending
$25B spent last year on food*
Groceries are purchased on average every three days
Fresh Food is important
Included in 69% of all shopping occasions
accounts for 1 of every $4 spent (26.4%)
Fresh fruit & vegetables are in ¾ of all fresh food baskets
Purchased every 6 days
Account for 39% of fresh food $ sales
9 in ten want meals to be tasty & value for money
Healthy, fresh, suitable for all & ease are important to consumers
When we asked shoppers what was important to them when describing what they expect when preparing food for a meal.
Tasty/flavourful
Good value for money
Healthy
Made from fresh ingredients
A good source of vitamins/nutrients
A meal for everyone
Versatile for cooking
Easy to prepare/cook
Filling
A family favourite
Complementary to other foods
Source: Retailers Association includes supermarket & grocery stores, specialised food & Food & beverage services
Source: Nielsen Homesan.
Question 8: Here are a few things some people have said is important to them when describing what they expect when preparing food for a meal. How strongly do you agree or disagree with the following statements…
Base: All Respondents : n=1000

11. Promote convenience, suitability for meals & value for money to convert from rice & pasta.
It has to be filling
It needs to be energising
A treat for everyone / myself
Will be convenient to eat
A family favourite
A meal for everyone
Traditional cuisine
Comforting food
It's healthy
Made of natural ingredients
Tasty / flavourful
A modern food
A good source of vitamins / nutrients
Easy to prepare / cook
Good value for money
An extravagant dish
Made of fresh ingredients
Complementary to other food dishes
Natural / unprocessed food or dish
A food item from which I can use to make various dishes
Fresh potatoes
Rice
Pasta
Starchy vegetables
Tasty
Broad potato appeal but seniors more likely to buy root veg.
Target communications around freshness , ease of cooking towards young couples.
Convenient
Natural
Value & convenience stronger for rice & pasta.
Families more likely to buy rice, pasta & frozen potatoes.
Young couples less likely to associate freshness & easy to prepare/cook than other lifestages.
Traditional
Question 9: Again, thinking of the same statements, please indicate which of these food items you would associate with each of the statements here. (Correspondence mapping analysis)
Base: All Respondents : n=1000

12. meal attributes
Fresh potatoes deliver strongly around fresh & natural & ahead on key meal attributes compared to substitutes
Broad potato appeal but seniors more likely to buy root vegetables ~ traditional meals?
Target communications around freshness & ease to prepare towards young couples
Value & convenience stronger for rice & pasta
Families more likely to buy pasta, rice & frozen potato products
Look at promoting convenience & suitability for most meals with VFM to convert consumption from rice & pasta

13. potato trends

14. Focus for growth is to maintain buyer engagement & encourage more frequent purchase.
75% NZ hhlds buy fresh potatoes every two weeks.
94% hhlds prepare fresh potatoes at least once a week for their meals
Number of households buying is slightly less, down by 0.8
Buyers spending per trip is slightly more, up by 2.8%
Frequency of purchase reduced by 2%
Twice the hhld annual spend of substitute products.
Highest spend per trip on frozen potatoes <$5, buying every 6 weeks.
Rice/Pasta/Kumara – half the annual spend 6-7 purchase occasions.
94.5%
$4.49
11.5 times
Source: Nielsen Homescan NZ | MAT to 26.Jan.2014 vs. YA

15. Engage shoppers under 35yrs for $ growth
who buys potatoes?
Older singles & couples shop most often but have lowest spend per trip.
Core buyer is 1-2 person household without children, +55yrs
Barcode more important to families
Older singles & couples more likely to buy loose potatoes
Shoppers <35yrs less engaged with potatoes this year
Losing buyers from young & mixed families
All family groups spending less than year ago
Families have a higher spend per trip likely driven by barcoded formats.
Source: Nielsen Homescan

16. 6 in every ten dollars is spent on potatoes…..
Ease of preparation and versatility are the main reasons for consuming fresh potatoes
but More than 4 in every ten dollars is on substitutes!
% of Category Spend
Key reasons for higher consumption of fresh potato substitutes:
Rice:
Easy to use
Suits / Complements meals
Traditional / staple food
Pasta:
Versatile / used in a variety of ways
Preferred by the family
Starchy veg:
Taste good
Healthy
Like it
57% of category spend goes to potatoes %
Potatoes & Substitutes
Source: Nielsen Homescan. Data to MAT 08 Sep 2013

17. potato consumption

18. What quantity of fresh potatoes do nz’ers consume?
Take home Consumption = Quantity purchased less wastage
Annual consumption per capita
(total popn.)
Kilograms purchased retail 97M
Estimated wastage kilograms 185,660
Only 3% of shoppers regularly waste potatoes with majority throwing out less than 25% of purchase qty.
Half a kilogram of potatoes is used in most meals
4 in ten is eating recommended serving size of potatoes
37% are having larger quantities than recommended
Older couples are eating in smaller proportions than last year
22.89kg
NB. Calculation uses estimated retail sales (actual sales from supermarkets combined with non supermarket estimate based on Nielsen Homescan non supermarket share) and calculation on wastage from consumer research about last purchase (5% of people wasted potatoes, on last purchase & 3% normally waste potatoes with less than 25% of purchase the norm wastage qty)

19. More occasions, value and cooking ideas have driven increased consumption in the last year
1 in 4 of those who have increased consumption in the last year have done so after knowing of the health benefits from consuming fresh potatoes
Q29: Consumption of Fresh Potatoes (%)
Q30: Reasons for increased consumption(%)
I prepare more meals with fresh potatoes now than I used to 53
Cheaper than other similar types of food 37
More recipe ideas 33
Knowledge about health benefits 25
Question 29: Now, compared to the same time last year, would you say that your consumption of fresh potatoes has…
Question 30: Why has your consumption of fresh potatoes increased in the last year?
Q29 Base : All Respondents (Answering Base) n=999 | Q30 Base: Respondents who consume more potatoes than last year n=112

20. Q29: Consumption of Fresh Potatoes (%)
Communicating health benefits, value for money & ease of preparation will address barriers to purchase.
Q29: Consumption of Fresh Potatoes (%)
Q31: Reasons for Decreased Consumption:
I don't prepare as much meals or dishes using fresh potatoes now than I used to 44
Not part of my diet 19
I buy potatoes that are of a smaller size now than before 14
Too expensive to buy 11
Takes too long to prepare 9
Question 29: Now, compared to the same time last year, would you say that your consumption of fresh potatoes has…
Question 31: Why has your consumption of fresh potatoes decreased in the last year?
Q29 Base : All Respondents (Answering Base) n=999 | Q31 Base: Respondents who consume less potatoes than last year n=172

21. What is the Potato occasion?

22. What is the potato occasion?
Family meals are the most frequent occasion for consuming fresh potatoes
Complement other foods, served as a side, considered filling
Mashed, roasted , boiled potatoes are the most common methods of preparing potatoes
Mashed potatoes consumed during family meals & quick
& simple occasions
Boiled potatoes are made for healthy meal occasions
BUT Fresh potatoes are not servicing all family potato needs
Only 7% prepare chips/wedges with fresh potatoes most often
Made as a treat/snack for kids
Families are 37% more important to frozen potato category compared to fresh potato
How do we cater to young families?
Addressing convenience in preparation
Retail fresh and ready cut
Support with the right cooking instructions in-store

23. Shopping & channel trends

24. Convenience likely driver of channel choice
Nationwide Fresh Potatoes : Supermarket vs. Fruit and Vege Specialists
Supermarket
63%
33%
F&V specialists 4%
Shop Exclusively
Shop at both Outlets
Fresh Potato: % Value Share across Channel
…but value key for families with older children & seniors
Source: Nielsen Homescan Data to MAT 08 Sep 2013

25. Fresh Potato: % Value Share Loose vs. Bar-coded
Shopping trends
Fresh Potato: % Value Share Loose vs. Bar-coded
6 from every $10 spent on potatoes is barcoded format
Shoppers tend to buy on auto-pilot
Only 1 in ten claim to buy on promotion
Top 3 shopper in-store information needs are information on cooking instructions, potato variety & country of origin
6 in ten shoppers are aware of white, red & Agria varieties

26. How do we market?

27. lower Cost and meal ideas will help encourage higher consumption
1 in 5 are also looking to know more about the health benefits of potato consumption as well as wanting better quality (i.e. storage) potatoes
Q32: Encouragement to Eat More Fresh Potatoes
But consumers tend to stick to what they know…
Question 32: What would encourage you to eat more fresh potatoes?
Q32 Base: All Respondents: n=1000

28. Better value and meal ideas will help encourage higher consumption
1 in 5 are also looking to know more about the health benefits of potato consumption as well as wanting better quality (i.e. storage) potatoes
Q32: Top 4 Reasons - Encouragement to Eat More Fresh Potatoes
Cheaper
36%
Ideas/
different recipes
34%
Health benefits
19%
Last longer
18%
Cheaper
Source: Nielsen Homescan NZ | MAT to 26.Jan.2014 vs. YA

29. How do we market?
Encourage young shopper in promoting taste/flavour without jeopardising seniors traditionalist view
Modernise potato perception & usage - ease of preparation, versatility & cooking tips
Make things easy for families with preprepared fresh cut/peeled/seasoned offer
Encourage consumption through recipes
6 in ten shoppers often try out a new recipe
3 in ten try out new potato recipes each month
Change in meal mix and cooking enjoyment are key drivers
Create online awareness of potatoes.co.nz via high traffic sites such as social media/search engine as awareness is low
Communications via NZ Herald have the potential to reach 1 in 3 hhlds