Lonely bananas more likely to be bought, research shows

Research has shown that labeling unsold individual fruits as “sad singles” increases the likelihood of their sale by appealing to shoppers’ empathy. In an experiment, a sign featuring a frowning banana with the message “we are sad singles and want to be bought too” led to a 58% increase in sales, from 2.02 to 3.19 bananas per hour.

In contrast, a neutral sign had little effect, the Guardian reported.

Additionally, a “happy single” sign produced a slight increase in sales, but it was nearly 50% less effective than the sad version, increasing sales from 2.02 to 2.13 bananas per hour (5.4%). A follow-up study showed similar results with tomatoes.

The research, conducted in a large German supermarket, tracked the behavior of 3,810 customers over 192 hours. Dr. Lisa Eckmann, from the Bath Retail Lab, called the strategy an “easy, low-cost, effective” way to reduce food waste and boost sustainability.

While consumers may eventually grow desensitized to the sad bananas, the approach offers a practical solution to an ongoing food-waste problem. Previous studies show single bananas are a significant contributor to food waste and climate impact in supermarkets.

Charles Spence, an experimental psychologist at the University of Oxford, explained that the emotional appeal works because many people, living and eating alone, relate to the loneliness of a single banana, triggering empathy and increasing the likelihood of purchase.