Convenience is king for American shoppers now more than ever. After the COVID-19 pandemic, consumers value their time and want relief from daily labor in the kitchen.
As part of the 2021 Chicken Marketing Summit in Fernandina Beach, Florida, Lynn Dornblaser, director of innovation and insight at Mintel, reviewed Mintel data on consumer attitudes toward protein, where people are shopping and the constant need for quick, reliable mealtime products.
Attitudes toward protein
Dornblaser said consumers view poultry as an affordable option that meets needs such as health and ease of preparation. Millennials, specifically, are a challenge and opportunity for the industry. The demographic segment is most likely to eat more animal protein and to avoid animal protein entirely.
In terms of new food product introductions, she said, meat and poultry lead the way. An opportunity exists for the industry to add new products appealing to shoppers who are busy and want easy meals.
How and where consumers shop
In 2020, Dornblaser said, the pandemic caused a sales jolt for grocery stores, elevated e-commerce to the mainstream for grocery and proved that consumers want to shop for fresh products in person.
Grocers experienced a tremendous sales bump in 2020, but their sales should return to normal soon. Online shopping for groceries, on the other hand, is here to stay.
The pandemic accelerated online shopping as consumers wanted a safe and convenient alternative to in-store shopping. E-commerce rose to about 10% of total grocery sales in 2020, from between 3% and 4% in prior years.
Now, people want online, same-day options for groceries and meals. Prior to the pandemic, that was not the case. However, shoppers prefer to buy their fresh food in person. In the years to come, Dornblaser said, consumers will return to in-store shopping, but how they buy groceries is forever changed by the experience of 2020.
Research shows consumers are choosing online shopping because it saves time and offers a safer option. The barrier, the same research says, to online shopping is the inability to see and touch items before purchase.
Nevertheless, U.S. shoppers will continue to visit stores because they enjoy the in-person shopping experience. The opportunity for grocers now is to make shopping – and healthy eating – less of a chore by connecting shoppers with the specific products they want.
In-store shopping offers the consumer and the retailer chances to sample products. The chicken industry should look to take advantage of average shoppers’ desire to provide healthy, affordable food for their family fast by positioning poultry as an ideal, quick meal solution. Samples of quickly prepared chicken products could drive purchases for value-added chicken products.
The challenge of cooking
The pandemic forced many to eat at home than ever before in their lives. But, even before 2020, Americans' desire to cook for themselves was declining.
For the food industry, this continuing trend means shoppers want more pre-prepared, complete meal products marketed as dinner solutions.
Already, rotisserie chicken is a leading convenience product for shoppers because of its price and versatility. Leading protein companies, such as Tyson Foods Inc., are now launching meal solution products containing meat with vegetables and starches to create a complete meal that can be prepared in multicookers.
How consumer priorities shifted in 2020
Consumers’ health priorities have shifted because of the issues of 2020. Immunity, stress reduction, sleep and healthy eating are now top priorities. Immunity will be less important as COVID wanes, but stress management will stay essential. Food companies can help deal with stress by creating meal solutions. They can also play a role in stress management by providing foods consumers see as joyful, comforting or nostalgic.
Moreover, shoppers are returning to the basics. The importance of eating less meat, eating healthy or cooking from scratch is shrinking while the desire for nutrition and convenience is growing. This means, Dornblaser said, convenience is still key but not everything must be healthy.
Now, shoppers are focused on wholesome foods. They want high-protein content, natural ingredients and low sugar content. Plus, shoppers are not prioritizing ethically driven foods as much as they did in the past. Therefore, chicken and food companies should amplify their messaging about the nutritional content of chicken and its role in a healthy diet to speak to today’s shopper.
2021 and beyond
Based on these trends, Dornblaser made three conclusions for the food industry:
- Consumers will always need help cooking. The pandemic has elevated this need. Keep convenience at the forefront when developing new products.
- Health is a priority, but so is fun. Products that offer the best of both worlds will likely have the greatest success.
- Online is here to stay. While consumers like the convenience of online, they like the control of in-store. Products should be tailored toward the right channel.
How COVID-19 shaped the future of chicken foodservice www.WATTPoultry.com/articles/43198
