instore - October 2016 - 14


Lenard adds that it's important to
remember that the words healthfulness and fresh are closely
intertwined, and distinguishing
between the two words can be
different from person to person.
So while healthfulness may
appear down in the ranks, the
overwhelming response to freshness sets this into perspective.

Healthy
Fresh

"Healthy is still a
very important
attribute, but
it's somewhat
wrapped into
fresh."
Jeff Lenard, NACS

"Healthy is still a very important attribute, but it's somewhat
wrapped into fresh," Lenard says
of the two qualities. "Again, NACS
consumer surveys show similar
results. 'Fresh' tests better than
any other word - even words
like healthy, wholesome, and
nutritious - because it's the only
one that also is a proxy for taste.
Fresh is a shortcut for people to
think both tasty and healthy."
14 * OCTOBER 2016 * instore

So by and large, when it comes
to these answers regarding why
a millennial consumer buys the
prepared foods that they buy,
and what might make them want
to buy more of them, it really
comes down to the semantics
of fulfillment, as Hellmer said
when Cypress and instore first
presented the survey results to
industry executives via webinar.
"If we look at the effect by age
groups," she said, "purchasing
drivers are generally the
same across generations, with
the exception of millennials
purchasing decisions being
driven more by gratification."

THE SOUTHEAST
IS WHERE IT'S AT
While compiling data on consumers' thoughts and demographics,
instore and Cypress also made note of which region of the US each
person was located in and how that might have influenced their
answers. What was discovered is that by and large, the Southeast is
the most accepting and enthusiastic of prepared foods consumers, no
matter where that food is purchased.

Millennials always valued
craving, indulgence and
comfort over Boomers in the
survey, though Gen Xers, who
valued healthfulness the most,
concurred with their younger
counterparts on their next three
values, showing that it's these
four qualities that will draw in the
most consumer dollars.

They gave supermarkets the highest approval ratings over all
other regions (at 76 percent), and proved to be the most frequent
purchasers of prepared foods from c-stores, with 66 percent saying
they have done so within the last year.

Though as Phil Lempert, food
industry analyst and editor of
SupermarketGuru.com points
out, this doesn't mean that
millennials and Gen-Xers agree
on everything - the data merely
shows that millennials are more
driven by gratification than older
generations.

In fact, the Southeast has the highest opinion of retail foodservice at
c-stores when it comes to the qualities of freshness, healthfulness,
indulgence and comfort. Overall, their rate of satisfaction for those
qualities ranged from 40 to 69 percent, a stark difference when
compared to the West, whose range was 22 to 44 percent. The West
also has the lowest opinion of supermarket prepared foods, with only
a 60 percent approval rating.

"Millennials are very different
than Gen-Xers," he reminds us.
"Millennials want the following
from their foods: spontaneity,
adventure, taste, free-from ingredients, freshness, uniqueness,
no GMOs, an understanding of
where their food comes from and
of the company that makes their

The Southeast has the
highest opinion of retail
foodservice at c-stores.

food, and how that company fits
into the community. They never
want to eat the same food twice
in their lifetime."
And that too can explain why
millennials can on the one hand
spearhead huge changes in the
industry that lean toward being

more health-conscious, and on
the other, want qualities like
indulgence and comfort out
of their food more than older
generations. For them, the two
aren't mutually exclusive. And
when viewed through that lens,
there really doesn't seem to be
any great disparity at all.

RYAN ALCANTARA

cover story
http://www.SupermarketGuru.com
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of instore - October 2016
