Savoring the Unexpected - Active Explorer Food Edition

Savoring the Unexpected Results from the Williams Helde Active Explorer User Group

f F O O D EDITION

SOMETHING TO WHET YOUR APPETITE

It might be the change in the weather, but these days, we’re thinking a lot about food at Williams Helde. But we’ve also been doing something about it. We asked over 400 participants in our Active Explorer User Group some questions about food – what they eat and why they eat, what motivates them and comforts them – and the results are in.

We went in with some hypotheses and came out with a whole lot of insights we’re excited to share.

So if you’re at all interested in who your best potential customers are, then you’ve come to the right place.

We promise there’s a lot of food for thought.

If you have questions about how this applies to your business specifically, contact us. We’re always hungry for fresh opportunities.

Sincerely,

Marc Williams

CONTENTS

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02 05 08 11 ACTIVE EXPLORERS GO OUT TO EAT

SAY IT AIN'T PHO: FOOD BUZZWORDS DON'T EQUAL BUZZ

RESTAURANT CHAINS: A TOP TEN LIST

LOVE IS SERVED: FOOD GETS A LITTLE EMOTIONAL

Where should we go tonight?

The answers may surprise you

What words whet our appetite, and which make us ask for the check?

Chain restaurants are working to capture this audience - who's winning?

After a journey of culinary exploration, turns out food really is where the heart is

ACTIVE EXPLORERS GO OUT TO EAT FOOD FOR THOUGHT

ACTIVE EXPLORERS GO OUT TO EAT

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ome of the world’s most adventurous, experiential people? When it comes to food, they often choose the tried and true. That’s just one of the unexpected, surprising, and insightful results we learned from our Active Explorer User Group. Conducted in late September and early October of 2016, our survey included 433 respondents who fall into the Active Explorer psychographic – one of the most loyal, educated, and growing consumer segments. These are people evenly distributed by age between the ages of 25–65+, 40% earn between $100K$150K household income. Many have a four-year degree, and one in four have a graduate degree.

We asked a wide range of questions about how these customers think and feel about the food they eat, in restaurants and at home.

Did you know…

• Nearly 20% buy organic produce when available? (We thought that would be higher.)

• That 75% work out most days, or at least a few days of the week? (We thought that might be lower.)

• Nearly 40% dined out 3-5 times last month and nearly 20% dined out over 8 times last month? (We didn’t know what to think, but that’s good stuff.)

Here’s what really surprised us. We gave our people a pop quiz. What do you do when it’s Saturday, and you have nothing planned for dinner?

83 %

Our respondents told us that 59% of them planned to go Would choose a to a restaurant for dinner restaurant they've rather than choosing to make something at home. We could been to before over see that. These people are trying a new one. seekers, adventurers, the ones who want to try that new place on the corner. But of these respondents, 83% would choose a restaurant they’ve been to before, instead of trying something new. (That’s higher than we expected. By a lot.) [...]

ACTIVE EXPLORERS GO OUT TO EAT

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That tells us a lot about how food connects with Active Explorers.

Even though they’re a demographic most likely to try new experiences, when it comes to restaurants, their loyalty kicks in hard.

Of the 41% of Active Explorers who said they’d break out the pots and pans on a Saturday night, 85% plan the meal before they go to the store and 81% make a grocery or shopping list for it. This suggests opportunities to reach them while they are deciding at home and in planning mode — even at the last minute. They have good reasons to cook at home: cooking/preparing food at home helps AEs have control over what they are eating (20%) and it helps them save money (20%). They also believe that it has higher quality ingredients (16%).

As you’d expect from a demographic that likes to learn, Active Explorers report that their interest in cooking exceeds their skill level. 31% rated themselves a 5 for skill, while 38% rated themselves a 5 for interest.

What can we infer from these results? That when it comes to food, decisions are made well before the time to make them. That the opportunity to influence comes far before the moment of purchase.

And maybe restaurants need to balance the thrill of something new with the comfort of the familiar.

SAY IT AIN'T PHO FOOD BUZZWORDS DON’T EQUAL BUZZ

SAY IT AIN'T PHO

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e were wrong.

We went into our Active Explorer Food Study with some expectations about how they viewed the terms “natural,” “sustainable” and “gluten-free.” We thought we were confirming some things about the Active Explorer that we already knew. Some of that — well, most of it — turned out to be wrong.

But that’s a good thing. We’re happy to be wrong. Now we understand some things that get us a lot closer to right.

This information may come in handy if you’re in the food industry, or even within shouting distance of it.

So, how do Active Explorers feel about the words “all-natural,” “sustainably grown, and “no trans fat?”

Suspiciously, it turns out. Those terms seem to be table stakes on the grocery shelf. They’ll make Active Explorers more likely to buy those products than products that don’t have those terms – but surprisingly, they won’t pay more for those products. Let’s take a look.

Of the terms we tested, only “organic” makes Active Explorers more likely to buy and pay more. Other terms, like “fair trade,” “farmer-owned” and “non-gmo” didn’t move the needle at all. That’s at odds with what we suspected they valued in a food provider. [...]

SAY IT AIN'T PHO

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And don’t get us started on “gluten free.” It was a net negative for our user group, making them less likely to buy and less willing to pay more.

Organic drives purchase intent & price upwards

What we’re learning is that Active Explorers aspire to a certain set of values, but that those values only come into play when there’s a clear, differentiated benefit for themselves and their family. “Organic” is the one value that drives purchase intent and price upward, which makes sense – it’s not just a label, but a certification, a badge that makes you feel more wholesome.

More than half of AEs say that food certifications are important to them.

Everything else? Just words on a package.

RESTAURANT CHAINS A TOP TEN LIST

RESTAURANT CHAINS

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ried and true. With a dash of spice.

That’s what our Active Explorer User Group told us they preferred when they went out to eat. Not in so many words, mind you. In general, Active Explorers are the most likely to crave culinary adventures. They love learning to cook new things, explore new restaurants, and taste dishes they haven’t tried before.

But not always. When they responded to our survey, they revealed that their default setting was a little closer to home. When deciding to go out on the spur of the moment on a Saturday night, nearly half (44%) of Active Explorers choose a sit-down restaurant close to home.

which five sit-down restaurants were the most likely to be chosen by Active Explorers?

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Olive Garden (11%)

2

Chili’s (10%)

3

Applebee’s (9%)

4

Outback Steakhouse (8%)

5

Cheesecake Factory (8%)

The fact that these were national chains wasn’t surprising; this was a national survey. What’s interesting is who was left off the list. No Denny’s, Red Lobster, Buffalo Wild Wings, or TGI Fridays – names you’d expect to be competitive in this race.

When we dug a little deeper, we noticed something our winners had in common. Each of them has recently emphasized a value in their marketing that strikes a chord with the Active Explorer. [...]

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For example, Olive Garden has recently hit “fresh,” “healthy” and “gourmet” pretty hard. Same with Chili’s and Outback.

When it came to fast-food restaurants, we learned even more.

Top five fast-food restaurants 1

McDonald’s (10%)

2

Panera (9%)

4

Taco Bell (7%)

5

Chipotle (7%)

3

Chick-fil-A (7%)

Panera and Chipotle are perennial Active Explorer favorites, so it’s not surprising to see those place well. But we were curious to see what McDonald’s, Taco Bell, and Chick-fil-A were doing right. A lot, as it turns out. All three have spent a great deal of marketing emphasizing their fresh, local, bold new menu items.

Even McDonald’s has made a big push in the Pacific Northwest, sourcing their fries from Washington farmers and putting up billboards that connected the McDonald’s brand to a sense of outdoor adventure.

What else did we learn? One in four Active Explorers said that spending time with family and friends is the best thing about going out to dinner. About the same number said the best thing about going out to eat is not having to make it themselves.

Active Explorers are, at their heart, explorers. But as we learned from our travel survey, they also like coming back to a place they feel comfortable. In the food industry, that’s where fast casual brands are making their biggest gains.

There’s always a place for known quantities that are trusted brands, are convenient and reliable, but also consistently provide new flavors or refreshed menus.

LOVE IS SERVED FOOD GETS A LITTLE EMOTIONAL

LOVE IS SERVED

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fter years of studying the Active Explorer, one of the most loyal and dynamic psychographics in marketing today, we’ve learned one thing: they never cease to surprise. After tracking down every food trend, from meal delivery services to sous vide cooking, that affects this adventurous group, we finally sat down and asked them a few questions about how they think about eating.

And it comes down to honesty, authenticity, and family.

The most important value for food companies, from restaurants to retail, among The most important value for Active Explorers is honesty food companies is honesty (24%). A close second was family (21%). We were expecting more exploration values to pop, like originality (2%) or innovation (1%). Maybe even adventure (2%) or discovery (1%). But no. AEs may be pushing the envelope on self-discovery, only not when they’re hungry. The biggest values after family were ethical (9%), respect (7%) and caring (7%).

Food is comfort, and comfort means food. That’s what our User Group played back to us. When we asked our Active Explorers about comfort food, here were some responses: Comfort food to me is the meal you cook after you have completely ruined a meal you were going to try.”

Comfort food is “fresh, fills you up, and makes you feel loved.”

They rely on it to warm them during spells of cold weather (29%) and ground them after stressful days at work (16%). But you don’t need to be sad to reach for the mac and cheese: comfort food is what AEs reach for when they’re in a good mood (13%) or when they’re in the mood to celebrate (11%). [...]

LOVE IS SERVED

“[FOOD] MAKES YOU THINK OF HAPPY TIMES. IT WARMS YOUR HEART.” - ACTIVE EXPLORER

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Ultimately, this is what food means to Active Explorers. It’s an emotional connection to friends and family. It’s a place to feel safe and warm. It’s a place you leave every morning, touch base at lunch, and return to at dinner to share stories, build memories, and express love.

No matter whether they’re cooking for themselves or going out to eat, food occupies a special place in the mind of the Active Explorer. It’s a beginning and an end to the day, fuel and sustenance, an expression of honesty and family.

It’s where they start and where they inevitably return. It’s a place called home.

206.285.1940 | INFO@WILLIAMS-HELDE.COM

F F O O D EDITION