Awareness of Local Products Makes Online Grocery Shopping Easier for Floridians
In partnership with: Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
Finding fresh Florida produce is now just a click away. With Instacart, Amazon Fresh, Kroger Delivery and several other online platforms, grocery shoppers can now purchase “Fresh From Florida” products – and support Florida farmers – as they build their weekly grocery delivery list.
“Before the pandemic, about 7% of grocery shopping was done online. In 2022, that number increased to around 50%,” says Yolanda Roundtree, Bureau Chief at the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. “With more people working from home and more meals being prepared there, ‘Fresh From Florida’ needed to have a presence in the online marketplace to effectively encourage the consumption of Florida fruits and vegetables. Instacart and Amazon Fresh provided that opportunity.”
This new approach enables “Fresh From Florida” to promote local products, helping consumers make healthy choices and support Florida growers. Additionally, because consumers are shopping online, they have the opportunity to explore new Florida products that might be different from what they see in the grocery store.
“Establishing these relationships with Instacart, Amazon Fresh, Kroger Delivery and other online grocery platforms helps us identify Florida growers, and also provides added incentive for growers to align themselves with the ‘Fresh From Florida’ brand to build awareness and increase sales,” Roundtree says.
Since 2013, “Fresh From Florida” brand awareness has increased from 40% to 84%, and nine out of ten consumers surveyed say they’re more likely to buy products with the logo.
Roundtree says they’ve seen tremendous results from partnership with the online platforms. In the last three years, more than 1 million units of Florida products have been sold on Instacart. And midway through 2023, more than 300,000 units have been sold on Amazon Fresh.
Roundtree says FDACS plans to continue online grocery delivery partnerships and build upon them for the future.