Five insights into new food shopping behavior

The grocery landscape is evolving, according to recent research, and the food culture is shifting:

• Consumers are more engaged and more powerful when it comes to food; technology has enabled this. To consumers, food is enjoyment, passion, love.
• Consumers will expect more from their food and the companies that make it – stories, connections.
• Consumers will ditch “constraints” of traditional foods and old loyalties. There’s a global food culture for those younger than 50. The last place they learned about food was from mom – they’ve been online, read blogs, been to shows. There is no ethnic food marketplace anymore – no ethnic food aisle in the store. Everyone wants to eat globally, so how can that permeate stores, including perishables.
• Consumers are “eaters,” not “cookers.” When they cook, it is more about composing, and 77% of all eating occasions have a prepared food. Food marketers should become the consumer’s sous-chefs and allow consumers to add their own creativity at home.
• Consumers will plan their food less…and more. Stocking the pantry is on the decline – consumers can get what they need anywhere, they don’t have to stock up and plan. They can eat on a whim.

These statistics came from Laurie Demeritt, CEO of The Hartman Group, speaking at the Sustainability Summit put on by the Trading Partner Alliance of the Food Marketing Institute and the Grocery Manufacturers Association. She spoke on “Bridging the Sustainability Gap: When personal aspiration and shopping behavior diverge.”

Demeritt outlined other shopper demographics, behaviors, and attitudes, and I’ll explore those in future posts. And we can examine how they interact to change the consumer landscape and the opportunities for marketers. For now, though, let us know what you think about these statements. Are they true? What are the implications for produce marketing? Let’s talk about it in the consumption community on PMA Xchange.

Source: FieldToFork (http://goo.gl/qwcKcl)