New Year, New You, right? We all know January is the time when people resolve to improve various areas in their lives, most commonly their health and diet. But what are we actually going to do? In an exclusive SupermarketGuru.com consumer panel survey, The Lempert Report set out to understand if and what consumers plan to change about their eating habits this year.  Surprisingly, only 44 percent of consumers actually plan on improving their eating, down a whopping 41 percent from last year!  Meanwhile, forty-one percent do not plan to change their eating habits, while 15 percent have not yet decided.

And what are the changes or diets consumers will most likely choose? Most commonly consumers are - trying to eat "clean", low sugar, low calorie, low carb, low fat, and adopt the Mediterranean diet.  Paying closer attention to portion sizes was also mentioned as well as making better choices overall and, less junk and processed foods.

So how can these survey results be used by retailers?  The Lempert Report suggests helping customers focus on being healthy and realistic. Encourage healthy eating and a more active lifestyle by hosting in store promotions throughout the winter. Make these critical lifestyle changes easy for consumers to adopt; they will thank you for it.

Help shoppers plan ahead: for the time conscious modern consumer, pre-sliced fruit and vegetables are a great on-the-go option to have at home and to bring to work/school to snack on throughout the day.  Help consumers with their resolutions for better health by making fruits and vegetables just as convenient as the bag of chips! 

Incorporate fun themes into store promos like Fruity Fridays, Smoothie Saturdays, Sweet Potato Sundays or Try a New Veggie Tuesday.  A transition to a healthier lifestyle can be made much easier when it's done in an entertaining way!

Also, remember that while many consumers make diet resolutions, by the end of January many are having a hard time keeping them. Supermarkets should help customers stay on track, stay healthy and stay motivated, they'll appreciate it!

Link to full article:  http://www.supermarketguru.com/the-lempert-report/retailers-can-help-customer-resolutions.html