Time and again consumer behavior has been altering and evolving in terms of consumer perspective, attitude, perseverance, and style of purchase. This changing shift has resulted in brands becoming more vigilant and innovative across various industries globally. 

Some notable varying consumer behavior in recent times may include preferring multiple payment options, the surge in products being delivered to the home, increasing demand for sustainable products, taking care of health at home approach, influencers having more impact on buying decisions, an increasing number of monthly subscription compared to the past and the list is on. People today expect everything fast – with efficiency and convenience. As such factors like product availability, shelf-life, and product endurance have become more integral to brand popularity. 

Why This Sudden Shift in Consumer Behavior?

The outbreak of the pandemic was one of the major reasons for the rapid shift in consumer behavior across sectors and the organic food industry is not an exception to this trend. Perhaps with Covid-19, people have realized the significance of health and wellness and are given precedence over others. As a result of this change, there is a profound swing in customers from non-organic to organic food.  

The consumer interest in preventive health practices has heightened since the pandemic outbreak and this has fuelled an interest in the organic food market. The organic food segment in India is expected to grow at a CAGR of 20 percent. If we were to force ourselves to see the silver lining in the pandemic year, it would be this awakening and consciousness towards a healthy lifestyle and healthy food and eating habits. While there has been a growing adoption of organic food in India over the last few years, the last year has witnessed a rapid acceleration. Today ‘organic’ is the new buzzword not only in the metros but even in tier I and II cities among all age groups - the youth and the elderly alike. 

Innovation in the Offing: Some Best Practices

Brands across are innovating to lure customers against competition and make their brand stand out as unique and best. They have not only shifted their focus to being innovative but also paid equal emphasis on product sustainability. In fact, they both go hand in hand. Many brands are constantly innovating and adopting some global best strategies to match the changing behavioral pattern and demand. Some of the standard best practices frequently adopted include -  Brands investing big-time in evaluating consumer mindsets through relentless research. Evaluating and analyzing their purchase pattern, attitude toward a specific product or brand, reasons behind the consumers’ preference of one product over the rest, and understanding their choices go a long way toward building product loyalty and market dominance. An imperative study on these aspects divulges more clarity for a brand to understand its consumers better.  

Similarly, it is pivotal to enter consumers' minds at the right time through the right channel. Post analyzing the consumer mindset, giving them what they want at the need of the hour through the right channel helps them get emotionally connected to the brand and start reacting to the brand at a much more agreeable level. Having multiple choices of products, accessibility, and availability of the product around the clock through various delivery channels benefits the consumers to a great extent.   

People all over the globe have started to be sensitive towards the society and environment and also prefer brands and products that give back to society. A socially responsible brand ensures better brand value and its brand reputation intensifies to quite an extent. 

In today’s digital age customer engagement is key. Monitoring customer feedback and working around it, showing that as a brand you do care for their opinion, and then getting back with alternatives require a lot of effort. Crafting a positive consumer experience and consistent customer engagement together facilitate trust in the brand and help build brand recall. Creating a strong brand value and letting your target audience know about the same forms a positive strong bonding between the product and its consumers.  

There has been an endless demand in the mind of consumers for transparency and has been on the rise ever since. It is no longer a choice but a must-have ingredient. They have transformed to be more conscious, selective, and demanding to know the way a company or brand functions or a product is manufactured.

How Organic Food Industry is Innovating?

A recent study has revealed that product availability, variety, and taste are the top three factors affecting consumers’ purchase decisions. Surprisingly, neither price nor health consciousness was the first concern. Brands are extensively using market-led innovation to understand customer loyalty. There has been a sea change in the last few years when it comes to brand innovation and maintaining transparency including in the organic food industry. 

To Sum Up

If a brand has to stay relevant and alive in the minds of the consumers, it is time that brands should start caring for their consumers, engage with them regularly, and develop customer trust, their products need to be easily accessible and the most significant of all is transparency in the entire process. Having a sharp eye over their buying pattern, engaging them, and fulfilling their expectations through the accurate mix of innovative marketing channels, the right use of digitization topped with the conventional method is the way forward to sustain the brand in the long run.