Australians are seeking more authentic and shareable food experiences, with new taste sensations and fresh produce topping the menu, according to a new study from audience insights survey, Emma (Enhanced Media Metrics Australia).
The quest for authenticity has revealed distinct purchase and consumption patterns among Australian consumers, particularly among those who have a keen interest in food.
The Emma Food Trends and Insights report, Plate up!, reveals four key consumer segments when it comes to the importance of food in their lives, including the middle class families of ‘Sensible Traditionalists’; the high earning and childless, ‘Educated Ambition’; the young and successful, ‘Social Creatives’; and the home and health focused ‘Conscientious Consumption’ group.
The study explores these consumers’ relationships with and attitudes to food, offering insights to brands seeking to reach them.
“Our Emma data reveals that food for Australians today is all about quality and food that tastes real, which we’re seeing with the rise of people with fruit and vegetable gardens and having chickens at home. This trend is set to accelerate as a growing number of Australians reject foods that are overly processed and high in sugar and fat,” Simon Wake, MD of Ipsos MediaCT, said.
The ‘Educated Ambition’ segment is the most passionate about food, and the most confident in the kitchen. They find cooking a pleasure not a chore and focus on using the best quality, fresh ingredients, buying fresh meat and seafood and eating fresh fruit and vegetables every day.
This segment and ‘Social Creatives’ are more inclined to experiment with new taste sensations and cuisines, cook with spices and herbs more often and love trying new flavours.
Conscientious consumption is also a key theme, with all four groups preferring Australian grown and made food and caring about where their food originates and what is in it. All read product labels and are taking steps to remain healthy in the future.
There is also a ‘conversation culture’ around food like never before with Australians sharing their food experiences on social media and actively conversing about food. The Social Creatives are the most active sharers, seeking out information, advice, and opinions online.
“With Australians increasingly interested in food, and anxious to share their own experiences and learn about others’, it’s likely that online platforms will become an increasingly potent means of engaging key consumer segments for marketers,” Wake said.
