A majority of shoppers believe it is important for their groceries and household goods to be natural or organic, but a substantial share are unsure of what those terms mean when it comes to the products they encounter, according to an Acosta Group report released Thursday.
That confusion leads many consumers to not purchase natural or organic products even as people increasingly place a priority on their health, the retail and marketing agency collective found.
Three-quarters of the approximately 1,500 shoppers who participated in a survey Acosta conducted in the second half of October said they bought at least one natural or organic product during the six months prior to the study.
In addition, almost 60% of respondents said they think products they buy should fall into those categories, and over a fifth reported buying more natural and organic goods during that period, according to the research. A similar proportion of participants in the survey said they buy natural or organic products because they feel these goods “are better for them” and “tend to have fewer synthetic chemicals and additives,” Acosta said.
Even as people show robust interest in natural and organic products, there is confusion around what those labels mean. Forty percent of all shoppers think the terms mean the same thing, and that uncertainty leads almost a fifth of those who rely on conventional goods to avoid buying natural and organic products, Acosta found.
Concerns about cost also play a role in keeping people from buying natural or organic products, with more than 70% of consumers who favor conventional products pointing to affordability as the top reason why they did not buy natural or organic goods during the six months before the survey, per the report.
