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Shopping behaviour has evolved quickly over the last 18
months and certain trends have emerged.
When we conducted shopper research at the end of 2008, we found that
shoppers were eating out less and cooking more from scratch. Two years
on, we ask whether this has changed and what it means for the industry.
Eating In
Our forthcoming shopper research
Meal Occasions shows that the number of
people cooking from scratch is increasing. Those cooking from scratch
(using raw ingredients only or a combination of prepared and raw
ingredients) during weekdays has increased to around four in five (79%)
of shoppers compared to 75% in 2007.
When we examined how shoppers were cooking from scratch, we
discovered that the number of shoppers using just raw ingredients when
cooking main weekday meals has dropped from 54% in 2007 to 45% this
year, whereas those cooking with a combination of ready prepared and raw
ingredients has risen from 32% in 2007 to 44%.
Combination cooking
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Recipes abound in food related media nowadays |
A number of factors are influencing this increased focus on
combination cooking, including:
- Smaller household sizes resulting in less people to cook for
- More convenient meal solutions in-store
- Shoppers seeking value for money savings compared to foodservice
There has also been increased access to recipes for quick meals in
key food related media such as magazines, TV, online and books.
A demand for cooking skills
Our research also shows that many shoppers appear to lack confidence
and cooking knowledge in the kitchen. Shoppers ranked having more
information on how to cook as their top requirement for what they would
like to see supermarkets providing. This ranked higher than other
issues, including having more information on what to cook.
How to cook - the Industry
The appetite for more knowledge on how to cook, presents
opportunities for the food industry.
- If you are a national or multinational manufacturer of meal
solutions or ingredients, providing tips on how best to cook meals
in a time efficient manner may attract shoppers to your offer
- For retailers, providing advice and tips to shoppers on how to
cook their favourite meals (e.g. using leaflets or cookery
demonstrations) will potentially encourage trial of new products
- The food industry can help shoppers to have a healthier diet and
achieve cost savings by raising awareness of how to cook from
scratch.
How to cook - the Government's role
A focus of the new Government in May will be to tackle the looming
obesity crisis. With as many as nine in ten children forecast to be
overweight or obese by the middle of the century, the Government
announced that food technology, involving practical cooking lessons,
will be a compulsory Key Stage 3 curriculum entitlement for every 11-14
year old from September 2011.
Ed Balls, The Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families
has also called on the food industry to play its part in helping people
to learn how to cook properly.
Eating out
According to our research, the proportion of British shoppers saying
that they eat out during weekdays has remained stable over the last
three years at around one in eight. However, fewer say that they are
having a take away during the week (13% compared to 16% in 2007).
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Health credentials are one area that foodservice operators are using
to attract customers |
Many foodservice operators are creating innovative and unique
solutions in response to changing market conditions. These include
providing an improved value proposition that enables them to
differentiate themselves from the competition. Quick service
restaurants, in particular, have introduced lower entry price points,
meal deals and stronger price communication.
Many have also developed strong sustainability and ethical
credentials. Improving customer perceptions on the health and quality
benefits is also a key battleground. Operators are seeking to stretch
their offers beyond the traditional three part daily menu (breakfast,
lunch and dinner) by embracing the snacking occasions which builds
demand across the day.
Future innovations
As the boundaries blur between foodservice and retail, it will be
increasingly important for meal solutions providers to demonstrate how
their products are at a competitive advantage compared to other retail
products and the wider foodservice sector.
In terms of shoppers, the combination of cooking with raw ingredients
and some pre-prepared is gaining in popularity. It could be that time
constraints are changing shoppers definition of what it is to cook from
scratch. For retailers and manufacturers, promoting recipes combining
these forms of ingredients which are quick and easy to prepare will pay
dividends.
More information:
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Meal Occasions – appealing to changes in shopper behaviour |
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The way people live, how they shop and their cooking and eating habits
are changing, presenting new opportunities for business. Find out how to
adapt ranging, promotions and merchandising to meet changes in meal
occasions with this IGD consumer research arriving in March.
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