Labelling solo bananas as "sad singles" makes more people buy them, Bath research finds
Research from the University of Bath says sales of solo bananas increase significantly
Shoppers are much more likely to buy solo bananas if shops label them as "sad singles" according to new research from the University of Bath.
Academics have been looking into the issue as solo bananas account for 131 million tons of food waste from the retail sector every year. Previous research has shown single bananas account for the highest amount both of climate impact and of food wasted at retailers.
The team placed a sign on individual bananas in a major German supermarket chain with a frowning face saying, "we are sad singles and want to be bought as well and sales increased by 58 percent.
"As far as we know, this is the first study comparing happy and sad expressions on bananas separated from their bunch to look at the impact on sales," said Dr Lisa Eckmann from the Bath Retail Lab.
"The plight of the single bananas is really relatable, and the findings have very practical applications for boosting sales and reducing food waste from our supermarkets.
"The need to belong is one of the most basic human motivations, and applying sadness to single, stray bananas evoke a compassionate response from shoppers."
While it sounds like good fun, Dr Eckmann said it had a very serious purpose.
"The study shows it's an easy, low cost, effective intervention for retailers and policymakers," she said.
A further online study with 1,990 participants replicated the setup for tomatoes, and 995 online participants took part in a final study to investigate the effect of price discounts on bananas.
"I wasn't aware of how single bananas accumulate to such a big food waste problem, and now I always look out for loose, single bananas when I'm shopping," Dr Eckmann said.
The researchers say that future research could examine under which conditions sad expressions are not more effective than happy expressions, for example when produce is deformed or slightly damaged.
The study, Anthropomorphic sad expressions reduce waste of "single" imperfect food, is published in the journal Psychology & Marketing.