the many benefits of meal planning

shsfoodthink.com ©2015 Sullivan Higdon & Sink. All rights reserved. The data in this report may be reproduced as long as it is cited: “Motivated Meal Planning,” Sullivan Higdon & Sink FoodThink, 2014. 1

the many benefits of

MEAL PLANNING


ContentsKey Takeaways

How Americans Plan Their Meals

The Heart and Soul of Meal Planning

Before the Store

Meal Planning Moving Forward

Implications


Fewer trips to the store

Spend less Eat healthier More likely to eat with family

Key Takeaways

Consumers see the benefits of meal planning


• The vast majority (99%) of consumers complete at least one preparatory activity before going to the grocery store.

• 4 in 10 consumers know which specific brand they’re going to purchase.

Make a shopping list

Plan the main dish

Read ad circulars

70%

63%

59%

Key Takeaways

Most shoppers prepare well before their trip to the store


• Many consumers, especially moms and Millennials, are open to meal suggestions from companies.

• 1 in 3 consumers say they would be willing to use an app to help them plan meals.

of consumers say they like it when food companies suggest

meal ideas, recipes or dishes

47%

Key Takeaways

Many consumers welcome meal suggestions



Children and health prompt preparation

MORE LIKELY to plan meals

LESS LIKELY to plan meals

66%

(116)Good Cooks

61%

(107)High Income

72%

(127)Healthy Eaters

35%

(61)Bad Cooks

53%

(93)Low Income

44%

(77)Unhealthy Eaters

67%

(117 Index)Parents

53%

(93)Non-Parents

Likelihood to Plan Meals (by Audience Segment)

Q: How strongly do you agree or disagree with this statement? – “I try to plan as many meals as possible.” (Somewhat Agree/Strongly Agree)


Dinner plans remain strong; breakfast and lunch spur spontaneity

Which Meals Are Being Planned

Q: How often do you plan the following meals? (Most of the Time/Nearly All of the Time)

43%44%36%42%

62% 55%

Breakfast DinnerLunch

Weekday

Weekend



Amid the desire to plan meals, consumers still leave plenty of opportunities for spontaneity in their diets. This is especially true of lunch, with 3 in 10 consumers (30%) saying they don’t plan their lunch meals on the typical weekday.

For foodservice operators, this creates an opportunity to capture spontaneous lunch eaters looking for last-minute meal ideas.

Capturing that spontaneity at restaurantsFOOD FOR THOUGHT

Timing media placements (including social media) around

mealtime

Changing your menu for variety

Daily deals and specials

Directional signage to pull them into your

restaurant

While many consumers visit restaurants on spontaneous occasions, it’s also important to try to get some consumers to make it a conscious decision (or a planned occasion). For example, a “destination” event at a restaurant on a certain day or a special during certain hours of the day can make a restaurant more of a planned experience.

Consider ways to capture spontaneous diners, such as:

HAPPYHOUR

Food for thought


Meal-Planning Criteria

Q: In general, what are the top reasons that factor into what you decide to make for a meal at home? Please rank the following reasons.

Quick cooking and preparation time 28% 53% 19%

Familiar with the dish 23% 50% 27%

Inexpensive ingredients 19% 38% 44%

Was on sale or had a coupon 18% 27% 55%

Easy cleanup 8% 32% 60%

Top 3 (#1-#3) Middle (#4-#7) Bottom 3 (#8-#10)

Crowd-pleasing flavor is where it’s at



Consumers see the benefits of meal planningBenefits of Meal Planning

Q: How strongly do you agree or disagree with the following statement? – “When I plan a meal.” (Somewhat Agree/Strongly Agree)

I make fewer trips to the store when I plan my meals

I tend to eat healthier when I plan my meals

I tend to spend less money when I plan my meals

I’m more likely to sit down and eat with my family when I plan my meals

64%

61%

55%

52%



With more consumers wanting to be better at planning meals and the majority (64%) saying they make fewer trips to the store when they plan their meals, this trend could ultimately impact grocery store traffic. The emergence of more methodical shopping will likely mean that food retailers have to work even harder to make the most out of each shopper.

Does the meal-planning trend mean less store traffic?FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Displaying effective POP can help both brands and retailers improve

purchase intent. POP is often important in spurring unplanned

purchases, even on a well-planned shopping trip.

Using shopper card or credit card data to provide shoppers with unique offers can help

increase total basket ring and bring consumers back to the store

between major trips.

Offering ancillary services such as fuel stations, banking or postal

services, coffee shops, floral departments and bakery can help

bring in traffic.

Ways to capture the most from each shopping trip:

By working to increase both frequency of store visits and total basket ring on each visit, grocery retailers can help overcome any traffic decline from meal planning.

POWERFUL POP

TARGETED OFFERS

ONE-STOP SHOPPING

Food for thought


Planning starts well before stepping foot in the store

Before the Store

FPO Illustration

44% Decide what brand to buy

70% Make a shopping list

22% Consult a recipe

63% Plan the main dish

46% Plan a side dish

51% Find coupons

59% Read an ad circular

45% Determine

estimated spend


Brand decision making also starts before the store

44% 56%BEFORE THE STORE AT THE STORE

Mass advertising Word of mouth Point-of-purchase advertising In-store offers

PackagingMobile advertising

Before consumers even set foot in the store, many are consciously or

subconsciously beginning to decide what brands to purchase. Reaching consumers with messaging in a variety of mediums

can help keep a brand top of mind.

Even though consumers are exposed to marketing messages outside of the store, many don’t make their final brand decision until they’re in the store. Point-of-purchase

messaging can help encourage action at the moment of purchase.

Before the Store


Grocery shopping trips range from specific to spontaneous 14+17+49+20

Spontaneous

Fill-in

Routine

Stock-up

14%

17%

49%

20%

Grocery Shopping Trip Occasions

Before the Store

Grocery Shopping Trip Occasions by Segment

SPONTANEOUS TRIPS: 17%(123 index)

SPONTANEOUS TRIPS: 18%(130)

ROUTINE TRIPS: 54%(109)

Parents Millennials Boomers


Many see the benefit of meal planning and want to be better at it


Fewer Trips

Spend Less

Family

Eat Healthier

Millennials

60% (114)

66% (109)

60% (109)

68% (106)

Frequent Fast Food Users

60% (114)

65% (109)

60% (107)

70% (109)

Moms

72% (112 index)

66% (120)

65% (107)

60% (115)

Why they want to be better meal

planners


Consumers look to food companies for meal-planning help


Q: How strongly do you agree or disagree with the following statement? – “I like it when food companies suggest meal ideas, recipes or dishes.” (Somewhat Agree/Strongly Agree)

58%

53%

(123 index)

(113)

Moms

Good Cooks

62%

57%

(133)

(121)

Dads

Millennials

59%

30%

(126)

(65)

Organic Shoppers

Bad Cooks

57%

39%

(123)

(84)

Healthy Eaters

Boomers


Implications

Consumers are looking for inspiration when it comes to meal planning. They’re open to suggestions, meal ideas and recipes from food companies. Consider both main dish and side dish suggestions.

Offer meal-planning suggestions

Consumers start their meal planning all along the path to purchase, which is often much earlier than when they step foot in the grocery store. Consider marketing tactics that reach them both before and at the point of purchase.

Consider the entire path to purchase

As much as consumers try to plan meals, they also have occasions where they spontaneously make a trip to the store or make a last-minute meal choice. Both food service and grocery retailers can work to appeal to these occasions as well as the planned ones.

Appeal to consumers’ spontaneous side Flavor is king with consumers. But they

also consider many other factors, like how long it will take them to prepare a meal and how easy it is to make and clean up.

Don’t forget about ease of preparation

shsfoodthink.com ©2015 Sullivan Higdon & Sink. All rights reserved. The data in this report may be reproduced as long as it is cited: “Motivated Meal Planning,” Sullivan Higdon & Sink FoodThink, 2014.

About the study

18

In early 2014, SHS conducted the latest round of its FoodThink research study monitoring how consumers think about what they eat and America’s relationship with food.

The study was executed among 2,004 consumers across the country via an online email survey (confidence interval of +/-2.19% at a confidence level of 95%). Respondents had to be at least 18 years of age and have joint or primary responsibility for the grocery and food decisions in their household. They came from a mix of demographic backgrounds and regions across the U.S. The study covered a wide range of topics, such as perceptions of food production, cooking trends and changing thoughts about food.

FOR MORE about Sullivan Higdon & Sink’s FoodThink study, please visit www.shsfoodthink.com

OR CONTACT Rand Mikulecky, Managing Partner, [email protected]