Will Retailers Benefit By Knowing Who's the Boss?
The NPD Group's report, Generation Mom: How Moms Provide and Kids Influence Consumption Patterns in the Home, found "kids eat 43 more meals per year at home than they did a decade ago." Kids influence some, but not all, of those meals, with snack decisions being the strongest at 46 percent, followed by breakfast (31 percent) and lunch (24 percent). Kids' influence on dinner was weakest (three percent).
Based on feedback from mothers aged 22 to 56 with kids aged two to 17, NPD aimed to explore the factors influencing grocery shopping and menu decisions, also including the influence of social media, spouses, friends and relatives.
By examining "consumption behavior and demographics," the report illustrates family dynamics with an eye on the development of both product development and marketing strategies. Features highlighted include "the challenges and priorities mothers face in raising their children and feeding their families, their views on the male head of household and their perception of fairness in food-related and parental chores."
The report forecasts opportunities based on children's consumption patterns as well as products catering to mothers' needs for convenience and value.
Kim McLynn, director of public relations of NPD, told RetailWire, "The broader scope of Generation Mom is to determine who influences which meals and snacks in-home ... identifying today's mothers and what's on their plates, literally and figuratively, before asking how marketing strategies can be aligned to connect with kids in different ways as they age."
NPD's food and beverage industry analyst, Darren Seifer, said in a statement, "Stay at home dinners are quickly growing across all kids' age groups. ... More kids plus more meals eaten at home represents a growing opportunity ... understanding who controls the meal and what is commonly consumed means audiences can be more effectively targeted."
Before retailers attempt to disrupt current purchasing patterns, they need to understand who the boss is when it comes to structuring those patterns. Once they know, there may well be value in attempting to influence who influences purchases in America's homes.