3 important data points about convenience-seeking shoppers

You likely know that convenience-focused foods and beverages are a growing trend. Heck, you may have already expanded the grab-and-go section of your natural store to boost sales of these quick, easy and convenient products.

The demographic that is actually consuming these prepared products, however, is difficult to discern. This may be because people are notoriously bad at judging their own behaviors—ask me what I ate last Tuesday night, and I’ll probably not mention the post-dinner chocolate cupcake. But understanding how, why and who purchases prepared foods can help you better serve your customers. For example, if prepared foods appeal the most to families, providing larger servings of side dishes or “speed scratch” items would be beneficial. 

A new USDA report conducted by the Economic Research Service entitled Adult Eating and Health Patterns: Evidence from the 2014-16 Eating & Health Module of the American Time Use Survey sheds light on consumer demographics, and can help you gain a deeper understanding of your shoppers.

Below you'll find several interesting insights from the report, and you can click here to examine the full research.

The location of a grocery store is the most important factor for shoppers, followed by price. Time, it seems, is more valuable than money.

Younger shoppers—especially those aged 18 to 24—are more likely to purchase prepared food than older shoppers.

Couples with children purchase more prepared food than single people without children.