Case Study: Gen Z’s Impact on Food Product Research & Development
Baby Boomers, Gen-X and Millennials have defined taste, channel, and product patterns for the last couple of decades. Gen-Z is dramatically different. First and foremost, Gen-Z was born with digital capabilities readily available from an early age. This single fact has impacted the food industry dramatically.
Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok are all sources for food preferences of the Gen-Z cohort. Besides food, shopping patterns are evolving dramatically. C-Stores, E-Commerce, Meal-Kits and Take Out are rapidly expanding. Food products’ form, flavor and function must coincide with these changes.
Why Gen-Z Matters to Product Development
Gen-Z already has started wielding massive buying power, and that will only increase. To help food manufacturers develop new products for Gen-Z, Bluegrass Ingredients conducted a study to understand how Gen-Z impacts food and shopping choices.
Our research confirms that Gen-Z chooses foods differently than prior demographic segments. Here’s some food for thought:
Are you developing for the future or based on the past?
Are your products designed with Convenience Store requirements or Grocery Store requirements?
Are your products stable enough to withstand handling typical of E-Commerce?
Bluegrass Ingredients is focused on developing products designed to meet emerging demand requirements. Whether consumer trend focused like “plant-based,” or manufacturing-friendly flavor stable products, our ingredients are customized to meet specific needs.
Beyond products, we focus on future trends to assure our customers understand what is happening and how to meet expectations. Our research shows where, what, and how emerging ‘spend generations’ are behaving, what they are choosing, and what they prefer.
We’re eager to share some of our learnings with you.
Boomers and Gen X shop differently than Gen Z and Millennials – Channels & Products
Boomers and Gen X have similar purchase channel preferences
Gen Z and Millennials have similar purchase channel preferences
Different cohorts have different application preferences
US Baby Boomers and Generation X have more traditional shopping habits frequenting regular supermarkets for most F&B categories
Millennials and Gen Z show a higher propensity to shop online, use vending machines (for snacks), and frequent farmers’ markets more than Boomers and Gen X