Millennials Want Transparency When Shopping for Food

Seeking transparency when buying food that is Ready-2-Eat or Heat-N-Eat is one way the Millennials are driving change within the retail food sector specifically forcing legacy restaurant chains and legacy grocery stores to evolve. 

While speaking during the 50^th Annual IDDBA conference Laurie Demeritt CEO of The Hartman Group reveled that “Millennials prefer shopping in specialty stores to get quality products like cheeses, prepared foods, specialty meats, baked foods and other deli items.”

Demeritt stated “that of the 850 adult shoppers who participated in the survey, 46 percent of millennials left their primary store (such as a supermarket) to buy fresh prepared foods because of their preference to specialty stores. This is a substantial disparity when compared to the 35 percent of baby boomers who do the same.” …

“They want to know more about the store behind [their food choices], where did [the food] come from, who made it and what the company stands for,” …“They also believe they should have more of a voice, more of a say, in what’s coming out in the market,”

Demeritt speaking of the survey found that 50 percent of consumers will go to another preferred specialty store for specialty cheese, 40 percent for prepared foods, 38 percent for specialty meats, 37 percent for deli items, 36 percent for baked goods and 26 percent for fresh dairy products. Foodservice Solutions® Grocerant Guru™ completely agreed with the findings.

Discovery also drives frequency of visits, Millennials shopped at nine stores in the past three months while baby boomers visited only six. The younger shoppers are not brand loyal and tend to explore and check all the different options the market can offer.  The Grocerant Guru™ has repeatedly linked mix and match meal component bundling to younger shoppers and Millennials.

Companies this ilk of Subway, The Original Soupman, DunkinBrands and Tim Horton’s are shifting to deli like models to attract active young consumers. Lloyd Sugarman, chief executive officer of Soupman, stated ““We expect that all future locations will feature an expanded menu that includes full authentic delicatessen offerings” Positioning new stores in airports, casino environments, and non-traditional locations in integral garnering the attention of new consumers.

Invite Foodservice Solutions® to complete a Migration Marketing assessment, grocerant program assessment. No other foodservice research or marketing company has focused on the Grocerant niche since 1991.  For brand, product placement, menu positioning assistance simply call Foodservice Solutions® 1-253-759-7869 or visit: www.FoodserviceSolutions.us