When it comes to snacking and demographics, Ideal Snacks doesn’t just look at millennials, boomers and other age groups. Rather it categorizes consumers by lifestyles and behavior, such as the healthy foodie, simple purist, waist watcher, busy juggler, taste lover, value-conscious consumer and mindless snacker. It then cross-references those personalities against such consumer needs as fresh nutrition, wholesome nourishment, smart energy and controlled wellness that make up its core consumers as well as grab-and-go, late-night munching and sweet rewards that represent typical snacking behavior.
“Our mainstream consumer isn’t necessarily looking at portability first,” said Gunther Brinkman, vice-president, contract manufacturing, Ideal Snacks, which is part of BFY Brands, Liberty, N.Y. The company also produces healthy snacks under the Our Little Rebellion brand. “Portability is important, but not as much as other primary drivers,” Mr. Brinkman added.
Still, there are some mega-trends that apply to the broader age groups. In general, millennials choose organic.
“They’re replacing meals with snacks nearly twice as much as any other age cohort, so they’re grazing for breakfast, lunch and dinner,” Mr. Brinkman pointed out.
Boomers eat snacks more often than millennials but they tend to look for different benefits.
“Millennials tend to drift to the ethical, better-for-you choices like non-G.M.O. and organic, while boomers drift toward the nutritional, better-for-you ones because they’re getting more aware of what’s healthy and what’s not, as they age,” he said.
When identifying trends and targeting your core consumers, don’t only look at the big picture. Delve down to discover who they really are and how your products fit into their daily lives.
