Digital and social media play a big role in the pre-shop behaviors of Millennials, but so does a more traditional medium: radio. Millennials (born from the early 1980s to the early 2000s) listen to the radio on their way to work, at friends’ homes and on their way to the store, so radio is a good choice as an activation medium, Alice Sylvester, COO of the Media Behavior Institute, said 4/9 in a session at Supermarket News’ Shopper Marketing Summit.
Millennials are eight times more likely than older adults to stream music, she noted. Hillshire Brands hired Media Behavior to use USA TouchPoints, a national study of five dimensions of shopper daily lives, to better understand how Millennials shop the sausage and cold cut categories, reported Supermarket News.
The study comes at a time when Millennials are increasingly appealing to marketers. By 2020, Millennials over 25 will represent almost 20% of the population, up from 5% in 2010.
Among their food consumption and purchasing habits:
–Millennials cook, but value convenience and ease of use;
–They’re restaurant-oriented;
–Food is a source of amusement and exploration;
–Meals are an opportunity to socialize;
–They’re less brand loyal and more price sensitive, but willing to pay for relevant benefits.
According to Sylvester, when considering in-store activation strategies, marketers should consider the following:
–Compared to older buyers, Millenials are somewhat more likely to notice in-store television (in areas of the store other than the checkout);
–They are half as likely to use a Sunday newspaper flyer and almost 30% less likely to use a store flyer;
–They are 12% more likely to use coupons downloaded to their phones.
See the Supermarket News story here.
RBR-TVBR observation: There are some 80 million Millennials in the US. The children of Baby Boomers or Gen Xers, this demo ranges between the ages of 17-34 and is increasingly important in media buying and planning. They’re expected to spend more than $200 billion annually starting in 2017 and $10 trillion in their lifetimes, so reaching them in the car via radio is great for shopping immediacy and also capitalizing on their love of restaurants and eating out.
