Packaged Facts: Men Assuming Greater Role as Primary Grocery Shoppers in U.S. Households

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Jul 23, 2015, 03:46 ET

ROCKVILLE, Md., July 23, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Shifting household dynamics are changing the way Americans shop for groceries. Most notably is the diversification of the primary store shopper with moms no longer always assuming this role exclusively, according to market research publisher Packaged Facts in the recently released report, Retail Food Marketing Trends in the U.S.: Technology, Mobile, and Social Media.

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"Mom isn't the only shopper for household groceries anymore. There's a significant constituent of men who identify as primary shoppers themselves, regardless of whether they share or wholly fulfill grocery shopping responsibilities," says David Sprinkle, research director Packaged Facts. "There's evidence that the percentage of men who are now the primary shoppers in their households has more than doubled in the past two decades."

Research shows that men clearly shop differently than women. Overall, men tend to shop with greater weekly frequency and spend less time in the store. The good news for retailers is that men tend to spend more, yet purchase fewer items—making their average cost per item higher. This suggests that women may still do the "big" grocery shopping trips for their household, while men are tasked with the interment grocery store trips to pick up staples or food for immediate use (i.e., meat or veggies for dinner that night).

However, food marketers must be aware that age/generation also plays a role in shopping behavior, and shifts in gender household responsibility are evident in grocery shopping behavior by both age and generation. Younger males are the most likely to be involved in frequent shopping trips as those aged 18-34 (i.e., Millennials) are 161% more likely than average to shop four or more times per week. In contrast, men aged 55 and older significantly under index in shopping as often. At best, older men will shop once a week for items.

Millennial dads in particular are proving to be a very unique group, with behaviors that are a significant departure from previous generations. This set had a different upbringing and don't subscribe to traditional gender norms. Because of this, Millennial dads are redefining fatherhood by spending more time with their kids, doing a larger portion of the household shopping and spending lots of money.

This shift is evident in grocery shopping trip behavior. While younger men are certainly shopping more than their older counterparts, being a parent is a key driver in their likelihood to grocery shop. Millennial dads are significantly more likely to shop 4+ times a week when compared to the average shopper. Notably, these dads aren't just making the quick shopping trips as they over-index in shopping for more than an hour. The value of this demographic is elevated when considering their higher average spending ($170 compared to $108 of all) and increased cost per item. The implication is that Millennial dads are likely seeking out quality over a good deal.

Retail Food Marketing Trends in the U.S.: Technology, Mobile, and Social Media assesses how food retailers can best leverage relevant and emerging industry trends to grow their businesses, with a focus on implications for the future. In this respect, from a demographic standpoint, the report focuses on generational differences by marital status and presence of children, household income and gender. For more information or to purchase the report visit: http://www.packagedfacts.com/redirect.asp?progid=87673&productid=9116696. A parallel report Foodservice Marketing Trends in the U.S.: Technology, Mobile, and Social Media (June 2015; LA5602855) is also available from Packaged Facts at www.packagedfacts.com.

About Packaged Facts – Packaged Facts, a division of MarketResearch.com, publishes market intelligence on a wide range of consumer market topics, including consumer demographics and shopper insights, consumer financial products and services, consumer goods and retailing, consumer packaged goods, and pet products and services. Packaged Facts also offers a full range of custom research services. Reports can be purchased at www.PackagedFacts.com and are also available on www.marketresearch.com and www.profound.com.

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SOURCE Packaged Facts