A P R I L 2 0 1 8 6 POTATO GROWER Ross Johnson, Global Marketing Manager, Potatoes USA When I decided to launch my career into Retail, I made the decision because I knew people would always have to eat. I, however, had no idea my career would be thrust into one of the most dynamic business trans- formations of our generation. While people do not like change, we are creatures of habit, the opposite is true in retail. There is an impera- tive to always be ready to change, to adapt, and to transform the business model to meet customers’ needs and expectations. One of the major changes we are witnessing today is the rise of online purchasing and the connected con- sumer. It’s actually interesting that we are now witnessing the growth of home delivery in the grocery space. I for one can’t remember the beginning of grocery stores, but the first grocers would actually make house calls and deliver goods to their customers. We have now offi- cially come full circle in retail and this could cause us to question the future for Potatoes. Although we have seen a dramatic rise in the sales of all product types online. The fact of the matter is we have seen very little penetration in the fresh space for produce. According to a FMI study released this year “The Power of Produce 2017” only 3% of all shoppers, in the study, stated they actually pur- chased their fresh produce online. Drilling down further into the data only 6% of the Millennial genera- tion states they have purchased their produce online. Knowing consumers prefer to pur- chase their produce in-store it calls out the importance of us focusing on the location where we find our products. It’s difficult to grow a cat- egory when our potatoes are con- stantly located towards the end of the produce shopping trip. There seems to be only one season a year where we can be guaranteed to find potatoes in the optimal location of the produce department. Building a story to give retailers a reason to place potatoes at the front of the store is an imperative, but retailers need to be confident the product they will be displaying will be high quality. For shopper’s produce is personal. In my travels around the country and Potatoes USA Mes sage Retail And Potatoes, What’s The Future?