New consumer research from Category Partners finds that product visibility — being able to see the actual fruit or vegetable through the packaging — ranks as the top packaging priority for shoppers, outranking sustainability claims and organic labeling. The finding challenges some prevailing assumptions about what drives purchasing decisions in the produce aisle.
For category managers and buyers evaluating packaging formats, the data suggests that opaque or heavily branded packaging may be costing sales even when the product inside is high quality. Transparent or windowed pack formats appear to build shopper confidence in a way that sustainability messaging currently does not.
This is practically useful intel for anyone making packaging decisions heading into fall resets. Worth sharing with your packaging or marketing team — especially on high-consideration items like berries, tomatoes, or bagged salads where shopper hesitation is common.