Race to create “to go” products for more demanding consumers

Busy consumers are forcing brands and retailers to develop new style products and services to keep up with their constant on-the-go lifestyles.

Seven in 10 shoppers say convenience is more important than five years ago when it comes to shopping and almost one in five demand same day delivery when ordering online, according to a new report from Sun Branding Solutions.

Supermarkets are now offering ready to eat food, high street bakeries present more than just sandwiches and pasties, and companies responding to a soaring demand for ready-prepared recipe boxes and home deliveries from favourite restaurant chains, as lifestyle changes impact on the way we eat.

A staggering 95% of the population is buying ‘hot food to go’ on average four times a week, spending £508 a year, a total of £763.4m, with the growth coming from quality and healthy ranges.

This new way of shopping for food is being driven by young adults, who were born in the 90s. Only 27% of this Generation Z group visit a store five times a week compared with 46% of the over 75s, according to the “Buying for Convenience” report.

Snacking, dubbed the fourth meal of the day, is more popular than ever though at the same time there is a demand for the other three main meals of the day, it’s how we eat them that are different. According to Kantar Worldpanel, breakfasts have seen a rise of 7.9% though rather than sit at the table we are eating bars and drinking cereal products on the go.

The trend is not just among the younger generation, with four in five snacking at least once a day, but is growing among older consumers too, with 62% of the over 55s also snacking once a day. Convenience shopping is now growing faster than grocery purchases and is expected to be worth £47.1 billion by 2022.

Gillian Garside-Wight, Packaging Technology Director at Sun Branding Solutions, said: “There’s a huge opportunity for brands and retailers to tap into the growing demand for quality, service, innovation and value, when and how consumers want it.”

The report highlights nine key trends around changes in consumer behaviour and provides recommendations on how to cope with future demands from ‘want it now’ consumers who are also insisting on more recycling, less waste, and better quality and healthier products. For more details, visit https://bit.ly/2wwAbRC

Bron: Race to create “to go” products for more demanding consumers