Consumers are making crucial purchase decisions in a matter of seconds, according to new research presented at a recent event organised by Italy’s Centro Servizi Ortofrutticoli (CSO), which brings together many of the leading Italian companies in the production and marketing of fruits and vegetables.
Speaking at the Organic Fruit and Vegetables and Neuromarketing: Understanding Consumers in a Changing World conference, Vincenzo Russo, professor of consumer psychology and neuromarketing at IULM University in Milan, revealed that the average consumer spends just 4 to 20 seconds in front of supermarket shelves before deciding what to buy.
These fleeting moments, driven largely by emotion, rather than rational consideration, highlight the instinctive nature of shopping decisions, he said.
“The consumer does not choose rationally - it is emotion that is the main lever in purchasing decisions, decisions that take place in a fraction of milliseconds,” Russo explained, adding that this rapid decision-making underscores the importance of how products communicate their values.
In an environment where consumers often rely on habit or price, there is a risk that organic products—known for their health and sustainability benefits—could be overlooked if their message fails to connect emotionally, he noted.
Russo also emphasised the role of the amygdala, responsible for managing emotions, and the hippocampus, which helps form long-term memories, in creating memorable shopping experiences.
“It is this overlap between emotion and memory that has crucial implications for influencing our ability to remember a product, a brand, and, therefore, to choose it again in the future,” he said.
The event, part of the Made in Nature project promoting organic fruit and vegetables across Europe, highlighted how organic producers can make the most of these fleeting moments to capture consumers’ attention and loyalty.
