Supermarket Perimeter - September 2022 - 19

TEN THINGS FOR RETAILERS TO KEEP IN MIND
AS THEY PLOT THEIR PLANT-BASED GROWTH
S1 CONFUSION ABOUT PLANT-BASED
hopper feedback indicates confusion about plant-based foods and
beverages, demonstrating a lack of knowledge about key attributes
and characteristics of these options. The confusion isn't necessarily
surprising, given the evolving nature of this topic and absence of
widely accepted definitions for these categories.
A 2 EFFORTS TO SELECT THESE PRODUCTS
T 6 KEY SHOPPER DEMOGRAPHICS
hose regularly consuming alternatives to meat, dairy, and seafood
are more likely to be Gen Z or millennials. Almost half live in
households with children. Nearly a third have household incomes of
more than $100,000. These consumers have higher grocery spends
and are more likely to be online shoppers.
lmost half of all shoppers put either a lot or some effort into
selecting plant-based foods and beverages, although many find
this exercise to be difficult. Members of younger generations,
particularly millennials, are more likely than Gen X and Boomer
consumers to say they put more effort into selecting plant-based
foods and beverages.
C 3 IMPORTANCE OF TASTE AND NUTRITION
C7 TRIAL AND EXPERIMENTATION
uriosity is a major factor in trying plant-based foods and beverages,
which reflects the experimental side of shopper behaviors.
Consumers show considerable willingness to try plant-based items
from the 10 categories studied. Among all shoppers, almost half are
at least somewhat open to plant-based animal alternatives, and the
percentage is greater among those shoppers who regularly eat items
from at least one category (as defined in this report) of the meat,
dairy and seafood alternatives.
onsumers point to taste and nutrition as key reasons for trying
meat, seafood and dairy plant-based alternatives. However, digital
ethnographic consumer research conducted for this report found
sustainability is gradually emerging as an important aspect for
certain groups of consumers - especially in relation to the terms
these shoppers use, specifically " ethical farming " and " cruelty-free
proteins. "
4 TOP FOODS CONSUMED
Shoppers were asked about their consumption of the different
categories of plant-based foods and beverages. Those most likely
to be regularly consumed are naturally plant-based - fruits and
vegetables (75%) and beans/nuts/grains (47%). Plant-based foods
considered alternatives to other products attract considerable usage.
More than 40% of shoppers at least occasionally eat a meat, dairy or
seafood alternative, but dairy alternative sales are more than twice
those of meat alternatives.
5 MEAT-EATING HABITS
Most shoppers identify as meat eaters, considering themselves
to specifically be omnivores (15%) or carnivores (21%) or eating
what they want (43%). About one in ten (9%) identify as being
flexitarians, while a similar share follow approaches that avoid meat
- such as vegetarian (6%), vegan (2%) or pescatarian (2%).
T 8 BARRIERS TO REPEAT PURCHASES
hose who tried animal product alternatives once or twice but did
not continue said taste was the biggest reason. This was highest for
the dairy milk alternatives, followed by the meat alternatives and
seafood alternatives. Cost was also an important factor.
S 9 LOCATION OF ITEMS
hoppers express varied opinions on where they want to find plantbased
items in food stores. Interestingly, for meat alternatives, the
top choice is not the meat department. Instead, it's a designated
plant-based foods section and the frozen foods section, followed by
the meat department.
S 10 FUTURE BUYING TRENDS
hoppers' outlooks indicate there may be considerably higher
consumption of plant-based foods and beverages in the future.
About a third expect to increase consumption a little, and 16% a
lot. Of those who regularly eat plant-based items, 35% said they
will consume a little more, and 27% a lot more. Currently, repeat
purchase behaviors of plant-based foods and beverages are lower
than shoppers' expectations for future consumption.
supermarketperimeter.com
SEPTEMBER 2022 - 19
Supermarket Perimeter - September 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Supermarket Perimeter - September 2022
