Meet the Modern Foodie: A Guide
for Marketers and Retailers
Sopexa's New Study Identifies Influential Consumer Category
NEWS PROVIDED BY
Sopexa
Sep 01, 2015, 09:15 ET
NEW YORK, Sept. 1, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Sopexa, the global agency for food, beverage
and lifestyle marketing, today released its 2015 Foodie Study. They have profiled the
preferences, behaviors and epicurean influence of modern foodies in the United States and
abroad, unveiling key insights that will have a significant impact on food, beverage and retail
marketing, whether it relates to everyday shopping or holiday entertainment.
U.S. Key Findings
Full Sopexa Foodie Study results and market specific reports available upon request.*
Sopexa USA - International communication and marketing agency specializing in food,
beverage and lifestyle.
While the pursuit of great taste remains top of mind for all foodies, they
are becoming more demanding and selective, and would rather
experiment on their own instead of going to the restaurant. With the aging
of millennials, and the digitalization of Gen X, foodies have evolved into
housechefs, whose growing decision-making power requires a whole new
set of changes in positioning, purchase patterns, and marketing practices.
Foodies are re-owning the kitchen, including cookware and appliances, as
they rediscover the pleasure and creativity of home cooking: 75% cook at
home several times a week – 93% of those cook daily for themselves and
their family as opposed to eating out. They embrace their role and the
positive impact they can have on others' happiness and nutrition.
84% of American foodies cook to express their creativity and are
increasingly fond of world cuisines, especially Latin flavors. Top five
favorite foods are Italian, Mexican, Spanish, French and Chinese.
Foodies are democratizing gastronomy through their extensive use of
social media, which they employ more than 7 times a day to quench their
thirst for inspiration and admiration. For seeking ideas and displaying
their creativity, foodies unanimously use Facebook (90%) and Instagram
(73%), then Pinterest (36%) and Twitter (19%).
Although foodies hunt for new products and recipes online, research
shows that they prefer to buy grocery in stores (88%) or directly from
local producers (52%). Foodies want to see, touch, smell and feel the
product off premise.
"Foodies are no longer food enthusiasts who only know about hot spots. Through our research
and analysis, we are seeing that they are more independent, connected and experimental than
ever, leveraging their savviness to find, own, and display new products, flavors and cuisines
to their online networks," said Pauline Oudin, Managing Director and Digital Lead,
Sopexa USA. "Empowered by technology, they have become housechefs,
elevating everyday gourmet cooking, with whom brands can engage across the entire
purchase funnel," she added.
Recommendations for Marketers
To best leverage these changes in the way foodies find, pick and endorse products, Benjamin
Bourinat, Director of Public Relations and Social Media, Sopexa USA, recommends that
marketers and retailers take some of the following steps to ensure that their business is ready
to engage with the modern foodies:
Become an integral part of the foodies' creative process by developing
recognition programs in line with their time spent on searching, shopping,
cooking, and bragging.
Amplify messages of origin, exoticism, nutrition and self-improvement.
As foodies take their individual role seriously, brand preferences will not
be swayed by discounts, contests, or games.
Increase the frequency of mobile touch points across Facebook,
Instagram and Pinterest for visual storytelling and greater brand
exposure. Remember foodies are either social voyeurs or social
exhibitionists; they rarely partake in online conversations unless they feel
they are driving them.
Re-examine your influencer strategy. Attention levels are decreasing as
foodies are more educated and acknowledged. Ensure you are getting
endorsements that compliment their egos.
Foodies prefer buying in-store than online; provide personalized,
sensorial experiences to build a long-lasting emotional connection
between foodies and a product or a set of goods necessitated to achieve
culinary excellence.
For those looking to increase their online sales; emphasize where the
product comes from; how it will taste, smell and feel; and how it will
improve the foodie's wellbeing in order to make up for the lack of
physical encounter.
Restaurants can increase loyalty by making the eating out experience
exclusive, inspiring and sharable so the foodie is inclined to recommend
your brand.
