Although consumers increasingly seek better-for-you fare that they can feel good about, indulgent options still spark consumers’ interest.
Interest in How It’s Made
Consumers exhibit a growing preference for artisanal food and beverage that is prepared from scratch onsite; they perceive these items to offer enhanced taste, quality and even healthfulness.
Choice - Fusing Flavors
Consumers are increasingly interested in trying new flavors, often in the form of a fusion of two familiar flavor notes—such as sweet and spicy.
https://blogs.technomic.com/year-in-review-10-macro-consumer-foodservice-trends/
Transparency
People want to know the origins of their food. They want to know the farm location, if there are chemicals/preservatives that were used, and the food preparation details. Restaurants are responding by providing this information and making announcements to diners mostly about removing additives the public doesn’t want. Holley says,
Consumers are getting a little more honest with themselves and the way they approach food.
Community
The sense of community is weaving more and more into our food. One way is via food halls, such as the venerable Quincy Marketplace in Boston, coming back into style. Several are in development around the U.S. according to Holley.
But we need to layer in the digital connection. Long lambasted for keeping us separate, social media and blogs are a fantastic way to pull together communities of like-minded eaters. Instagrams of food trucks, Facebook groups of Sunday brunchers, and meetups at farmers markets all contribute to a sense of connection.
In another tangent of this trend, random restaurant tables often replace a family’s dining room. The food industry is responding to improve that experience through menu planning, customer service training, and restaurant design.
Craveability
Holley began her macro trend discussion with this statistic:
73 percent of consumers choose what they want to eat over where they want to eat.
Guilty of this myself, I choose Italian vs. Chinese vs. “healthy” and then decide where I’m going to go for dinner. Holley said, “Millennials are less brand loyal than any previous generation. Experiential consumers are craving the experience as much as they’re craving the food. That plays into the setting, the service, the style, the packaging, and the presentation.”
In my opinion, brands and particularly restaurants can see a bump in customers from bringing community and craveability together. Think about the restaurant with the incredible Instagram feed, or the cookbook author with the active Facebook page, or the food manufacturer that actively promotes recipe contests. Add transparency through the internet along with discussion about sourced ingredients and you can see these trends coming together beautifully. The brands that understand this and unify these ideas will be the most successful.
Both political and economic uncertainty are at their highest level for years, and the situation is expected to continue with flow on effects for consumers who in view of uncertain times may well exercise caution when making purchasing decisions.
The disaffected youth
One of the key outcomes of the recession for advanced economies is the lack of decent prospects for young people, who face high unemployment, tuition fees, rising living costs, a lack of affordable housing and the burden of supporting ageing populations in the future.
The rich/poor divide
Inequality has been in evidence for a number of years, but is increasingly becoming a focus of social unrest and media interest. Reasons for inequality include changes in employment patterns, disproportionate wage increases, technological progress, urbanisation, government policies and demographic factors.
The climate challenge
Increasingly erratic weather patterns and rising sea levels will be one of the largest threats to populations over the next five years and beyond. Most notably, droughts and floods will continue to cause havoc with food crops, affecting food prices in the years to come.
A more connected world
The internet is increasingly being accessed via smartphones and tablets, as consumers seek convenience and mobility. Almost one third of global on-line consumers now have internet access on their mobile phones. Social media sites, such as Facebook and Twitter, are changing the way people interact with one another. A successful social media strategy will be a top priority for companies globally.
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