Berry research project promises to deliver profits for soft fruit sector

British Summer Fruits and Winter Berries are to sponsor an in-depth three-year research project on consumer shopping behaviour for the soft fruit sector.

Undertaken by the dunnhumby Academy of Consumer Research at Kent Business School, a full-time PhD student will be dedicated exclusively to the analysis of the soft and stone fruit sector; the student will be spending time in the field conducting primary research with consumers, alongside detailed analysis of dunnhumby data to support the broader marketing activities of both British Summer Fruits and Winter Berries, and their members.

Laurence Olins, chairman of British Summer Fruits and Winter Berries, commented: "Investing in such long-term and in-depth research necessitates a significant financial commitment from both campaigns; £75k for the duration of the project. Working with the dunnhumby Academy of Consumer Research is an important step if our industry is to successfully maximise the potential for future growth through increasing consumer penetration, particularly within thus far untapped markets.

"We have had considerable success with our PR campaigns since 2003 which has undoubtedly helped to raise awareness and stimulate consumer demand. The next step is to gain traction across the wide consumer market; to do so we need to not only understand what consumers put into their shopping baskets but also the reasons why – this is what the dunnhumby Academy research promises to deliver and so will be an extremely valuable tool for the soft fruit industry and all its stakeholders."

The dunnhumby Academy of Consumer Research is a joint venture between Kent Business School and dunnhumby to provide valuable consumer insight to businesses that would otherwise be denied it, whilst simultaneously providing a unique opportunity for postgraduate research into the complex area of food purchasing behaviour.