instore - May 2016 - 22

cover story

Boomers snack
more than
millennials
SOURCE: THE NPD GROUP

Boomers consume 20 percent more prepared-food
snacks than millenials.
Boomers eat about 1,200 snacks a year.
Millennials eat about 1,000.
When snacking, boomers typically cite not wanting
to prepare a meal for themselves alone as their
motivation, whereas millennials responded that they
snacked simply because they were hungry.
Both groups said that they typically first reach for
candy, chips, chocolate and fruit when snacking.

was 'party of one.' This was before cell phones, and the whole experience was not that much fun. So if you didn't want to go sit somewhere
alone, you went home and made your dinner. But today, if you don't
like cooking for or eating by yourself, to be able to go buy fresh, healthy
options is much more attractive."

How They Find It
When it comes to marketing, the biggest step to getting this generation
to sit up and pay attention, overall, is piquing their interest in something to the point where they look it up online. According to a March
2015 study done by research firm DMN3, television was found to be the
best means of doing this, outstripping even the influence of friends
and spouses.
Once online, everything that had to do with anything seemed to
come as a result of using search engines. For example, boomers are
28.4 percent more likely to make a purchase as a result of using a
search engine than social media. Over 77 percent of respondents said
that they visited a company website after using a search engine, with
63 percent saying they actually visited a store. Print, direct mail and
radio were the least successful mediums for grabbing this demographic's attention.

percent less likely to buy a store brand product to save money.

"When I was young, the worst phrase you could utter at a restaurant

BOOMER
TECH

What Trends Appeal to Them
No one wants to be known as the company that makes - or the
purchaser of products especially for - the elderly, no matter their
actual age. The key seems to be semantics: think 'ageless' or 'healthy,'
as opposed to 'mature' or 'senior.' It's a tricky act, trying to target an
audience without directly marketing to its core detail, which is, of
course, its age. And how do
you juggle that with the fact
that more than half of the
Boomers spend considerably
respondents in the Nielsen
more time on computers than
Global Survey about Aging
on mobile devices.
(which polled more than
30,000 online respondents
in 60 countries) said that
use social media
promotions of trendy new
(predominantly Facebook)
foods didn't reflect them and
their needs?

75%

60%

read online articles and/or blogs

70%
SOURCE: DMN3

22 * MAY 2016 * instore

said they watch videos online

A lot of that could be due
to different generations'
ideas of what a healthy
food is. For example, much
health-minded marketing
has been directed toward
high-protein foodstuffs.

ALEXANDER RATHS - FOTOLIA / ADOBE STOCK

"The difference with boomers is that they don't want stuff, they want
an experience," says Jeff Lenard, vice-president of industry initiatives
at the National Association of Convenience Stores, who described
himself as belonging to the generation.

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of instore - May 2016