Angela Liu 17322540
consumer habits and trends
INTRODUCTION
As the world changes and advances, so do our preferences for our food. We are asking ourselves more and more: What am I eating? Where does it come from? Is it good for me? These are the questions that will influence the trends in food and beverage consumptions trends in the future. According to Neil (n.d), these trends range from healthy organic foods, to clean labels, and to ethically sourced foods .
Millennials and Generation Z (defined as being born 1981-1996 and 1997-present, respectively (Serafino, 2018)) are becoming the largest group of global consumers and are the greatest influence on the future market.
Millennials are price sensitive and attracted to virtual interaction whereas Generation Z care more about social responsibility of a brand and less about service. Generation Z also prefer one on one communication, compared to millennials (McDermott, 2017).
HEALTH
Millennials and Gen Z are driving a trend towards healthy eating. More protein, antioxidants, vitamins, GMO free, gluten free, dairy free and organic foods are just some of the factors influencing consumers’ purchasing (Neil, n.d.).
Superfoods
-
Superfoods are making a difference in consumers’ habits. These foods have supposed health benefits. Chia seeds, acai and goji berries, which were previously unheard of, are now taking a stand in mainstream diets (Maloney, 2017).
Eating organic
-
52% of consumers of organic food are millennials (Patel, 2017).
-
In 2018, sales for organic foods increased by 6% in the UK, This also included non-food products, such as beauty and textile products (Smithers, 2018).
-
Consumers are now more aware of genetically modified foods (MMR,2017)
Low SuGar
-
With the new generation more health-conscious with what they are eating, there has been a drive toward low sugar drinks and foods, with other natural sweeteners used as alternatives. These include fruit syrups, extracts from plants, and fruit juice/ concentrates (Haugh, 2017).
This is supported by MMR (2017) who states that consumers are now buying fresh products at an earlier age and this will drive and increase of 10% for fresh vegetable consumption in the future. Plant based diets, veganism, vegetarianism are have seen a rise on the global scale and this rise transcends generations。 The USA alone say 600% increase in vegans over the course of a year (Oberst, 2018). The world may grow towards a more plant-based dies, as this is more sustainable for the environment.
CONVENIENCE
Convenience will also play a heavy role in the consumer habits of the next generation. Busy lifestyles, decreasing household population and aging populations will drive the convenience food industry to grow (Mehmeti and Xhoxhi, 2014). Over the years, the number of meals prepared from scratch has decreased and home-delivered and pre-prepared meals are becoming more and more common (Ensle, 2017).
The future shopping experience will include the convenience of online shopping combined with human experience. Millennials are preferring online shopping and home-delivery services due to their convenience. This differs from Generation X, who enjoy one-on-one connections in their shopping experiences (Genchur, 2018). Future consumers are looking for a smooth, fast shopping process with low effort required. However, this experience differs by region. Asian consumers prefer an artificial intelligence and digital shopping experience over European and American consumers (McDermott, 2017). Pre-packaged foods are also becoming more and more popular (Singer,2018).
McDermott, 2017
SOURCIng
Millennials and Gen X are also paying more attention to where their food is coming from. Consumers are looking for products that are ethically sourced, good for the environment, and produce less waste (Singer, 2018). As the environment continues to deteriorate due to global warming and the large amount of waste produced by humans, more consumers are looking for environmentally friendly and ethical products (Mehmeti and Xhoxhi, 2014). More and more people are connecting to brands that have “social and environmental value” (Maloney, 2017), driving businesses towards a more enviro-friendly approach.
Experience
Compared to older generations, the consumers of the future are more interested in buying experiences, rather than material possessions. This trend has now been named the “experiential economy”. These experiences are intangible, such as a magnificent view, a new form a shopping, or eating out at a trendy restaurant (McDermott, 2017). This has been influenced by the uprise of social media, where anyone can post about their experiences and thus create the desire of a certain lifestyle, or experience, rather than material objects (Kent, 2017).
Consumers are no longer purchasing a product, but seek a connection with that brand. Consumers are looking for a more personalised shopping experience, one makes them feel special and not just one of a million (McDermott, 2017). For retailers to succeed in the future, products should offer a new experience to the buyer, rather than just another possession (McDermott, 2017).
REFERENCES
Data Reflects Consumer Trends in Food, Beverages. (2017). MMR, 34(1), 97-108.
Ensle, K. (2017). Food Trends for 2017. Rutgers. Retrieved from
https://njaes.rutgers.edu/sshw/message/message.php?p=Health&m=342
Genchur, N. (2018, January 2). FIve Consumer Trends to watch in 2018. GroundTruth. Retrieved from
https://www.groundtruth.com/insight/five-consumer-trends-watch-2018/
Haug, M. E. (2017, December 7). Beverage Trend Watch: Lower Sugar Content and Botanical Extracts.
Prospector. Retrieved from https://knowledge.ulprospector.com/7509/fbn-beverage-trends-lower-sugar-botanical-extracts/
Kent, S. (2017). "Hold on, I have to post this on Instagram": Trends, Talk, and Transactions of the Experiential
Consumer. Boston Hospitality Review, Vol 5, Iss 1 (2017), (1),
Maloney, G. (2017, May 15). Six Eating Habits Transforming the Food Industry. Forbes. Retrieved from
McDermott, K. (2017). Future trends in consumer behaviour. Retrieved from https://www.acapture.com/wp-
content/uploads/2017/03/Future-trends-in-consumer-behavior.pdf
Mehmeti, G., & Xhoxhi, O. (2014). Future Food Trends. Annals: Food Science & Technology, 15(2), 392.
Neil, S (n.d.). The future food and beverage industry. Retrieved from
https://www.profoodworld.com/articles/future-food-and-beverage-industry
Oberst, L. (2018, January 18). Vegan Statistics: Why the Global Rise in Vegan and Plant-Based Eating Isn’t A Fad. Food Revolution. Retrieved from https://foodrevolution.org/blog/vegan-statistics-global/
Patel, D. (2017, August 26). Food Leaders Take Notice: How Millennials Are Changing The Way We Eat.
Forbes. Retrieved fromhttps://www.forbes.com/sites/deeppatel/2017/08/26/food-leaders-take-notice-how-millennials-are-changing-the-way-we-eat/#271a97357175
Serafino, J. (2018, March 1). New Guidelines Redefine Birth Years for Millennials, Gen-X and ‘Post
Millennials’. Retrieved from http://mentalfloss.com/article/533632/new-guidelines-redefine-birth-years-millennials-gen-x-and-post-millennials
Singer, C. (2018, January 5) Top 2018 trends for food and beverage industry businesses. Retrieved from
Smithers, R. (2018, February 7). Organic Food and Drink sales rise to record heights in the UK. The Guardian.
Retrieved fromhttps://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/feb/07/organic-food-and-drink-sales-rise-to-record-levels-in-the-uk