Did you know that potatoes are bought every second by Irish consumers? 1.67 million households purchase potatoes annually.
According to Cliona Lynch, Kantar Worldpanel, there are two main factors that influence consumer purchasing. These are life stage and cohort.
She explained that consumers change what they consume over time, but they also carry behaviour with them. So, if someone has always bought marmalade or potatoes, they will continue to buy those products.
Speaking at the National Potato Conference, Cliona explained that consumers are now moving back to potatoes from frozen potato products, sweet potatoes and couscous.
However – while potatoes remain the largest carbohydrate of the main meal – rice, pasta and frozen pizza remain strong competitors.
Potato sales dropped in 2017, as consumers bought less volume and at a lower price. Shoppers bought an average volume of 3.4kg per shopping trip – a reduction of 2.9%.
Volume of potatoes being purchased
In 2017, the average volume of potatoes bought per household was 125kg/year. 2.5-5kg bags of potatoes have seen an increase in popularity since 2016, while 5-7.5kg bags have seen a decline.
Dunnes Stores is the number one retailer of potatoes in Ireland and its share is growing year-on-year. Aldi consumers have been reported to be returning more often and paying a higher price for potatoes.