Monday, June 18, 2012 by Lee Mannering
Survey finds Dads shaping shopping lists, choices
Building off of a conversation already underway on PMA Xchange, according to the 2012 Cone Communications Year of the Dad Trend Tracker, more than one-in-three moms admit dads have had more influence on grocery store purchases over the last few years; 52 percent of dads now say they are the primary grocery shopper in the household.
The study also found that dads prepare before going into the supermarket. Sixty-three percent said they create a detailed shopping list; 56 percent said they collect coupons or read circulars; 52 percent said they plan meals for the week ahead of time; and 24 percent said they conduct background research on grocery products.
When asked about their typical grocery shopping experience, nearly one-third of dads said they get in and out as fast as possible buying only what they came for, compared to just 21 percent of moms. However, 38 percent of dads said they walk up and down each aisle to look at all their options or comparison shop. And while nearly one-in-five dads said they can finish their shopping in fewer than 30 minutes, the majority (58 percent) said they spend up to an hour in the store.
I completely agree with the sentiment to “get in and out as fast as possible.” Speed has become such a priority for me that I only shop at grocery stores with self-checkout lanes. Thankfully in my area all but two stores offer this service.
The top three channels dads use to gather product- and other grocery-related information are in-store promotions (57 percent), advertising (50 percent) and traditional media like newspapers, magazines and television (40 percent). Yet marketers should pay attention to online media, too. When looking at all online channels together, it turns out 44 percent of dads seek out online sources – online media, product websites, and social networks – for information.
In my household, I’d guess I’m the primary grocery shopper half of the time. It’s turned out that my wife and daughter will go to the farmer’s market down the road from us and I’ll hit the grocery store for everything else – though this is more of a “divide and conquer” strategy, especially with a very active little one. The farmer’s market provides my daughter more of an entertaining environment - due to free fruit samples, mostly - whereas the traditional store just doesn’t engage her (or my wife).
As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, there’s already a conversation started in the Increasing Consumption Community on PMA Xchange. To join the discussion, log in to Xchange, enter the Increasing Consumption Community, and look for the thread “The Changing ‘Face’ of the Primary Shopper.”
Tags: Consumption