How does today’s economy impact the hospitality’s food and drink category? Has it impacted the dining experience? Have patrons changed their frequency of eating? Provoke Insights investigated concerns facing dining establishments in its fifth wave of the consumer trends research. 

Economic Impacts on the Restaurant Industry

Prices of services and products are rising across the board, and American consumers are noticing. When it comes to restaurants in particular, over 80% say they have noticed an uptick in the cost of menu items.

Consumers’ wallets (and appetites) are hit hard as inflation is impacting everything from supermarket runs to going out to restaurants. As a result, Americans are cutting down on the amount that they eat out. This is especially true at full-service establishments, where half of Americans are dining less frequently.

When patrons do eat out, almost three-quarters are making budgeting changes to their ordering. Over half are selecting cheaper items (53%), while others are cutting out dessert (42%), appetizers (39%), or drinks (31%).

To combat these concerns, restaurants must take an active approach to attract diners:

• Fast food and fast casual restaurants can offer discounts and promotions to ease the concerns of budget-conscious consumers.
• Fine dining establishments can consider unique offerings and experiences to attract diners, such as live music events, wine tastings, or new technologies.

Menu Availability Impacts on the Restaurant Industry

Inflation is not the only concern for those dining and food and drink establishments. Menu item availability and limited staff are other issues that are impacting dining experience.

Less than thirty percent of consumers are satisfied with menu item availability at restaurants. Many others have experienced being told their selection is sold out for the evening. To avoid these situations, restaurants can create more limited menus or prix-fixe offerings that utilize ingredients that are more assured to be kept in stock. This may mean fewer exotic offerings, but it will prevent customers from feeling frustrated that they can not order their first-choice selection. 

Methodology

Provoke Insights conducted a 15-minute survey in the fall of 2022 among 1,500 Americans between the ages of 21 and 65. A random stratified sample methodology was used to ensure a high degree of representation of the U.S. population (household income, age, gender, geography, ethnicity, and children in the household). Statistical differences between subgroups were tested at a 95% confidence level. The margin of error is +/-2.5%.

What is happening in the alcohol sector this fall? Provoke Insights investigated consumers’ alcohol buying behavior in its fifth wave of the consumer trends study.

Who’s Drinking Alcohol?

Americans like to drink! Almost half (40%) of consumers will be making alcohol purchases. These individuals are more likely men with a higher household income. They consider themselves more environmentally friendly. As a result, eco-friendly alcohol brands may stand out from the crowd. As these Americans favor shopping at small businesses, it is still important to have a presence at mom-and-pop liquor stores.

These consumers prefer to stick to familiar alcohol brands. However, in-store availability is a top influencer for 40% of these consumers when considering alcohol. To stay top-of-mind, brands in this category must ensure their products are available at multiple online and in-person retailers.

A Closer Look at the Liquor Sector

Vodka (21%), followed by whiskey (17%), is the most popular. While in-store still dominates for hard alcohol purchases (81%), over one-quarter of liquor purchasers buy online (28%).

The method they purchase online is mixed; online delivery services, big box retailer websites, national alcohol websites, and liquor store websites are all channels being used. Liquor brands need to consider the multiple ways consumers purchase online, as there is no single way.

Liquor buyers aren’t just drinking. They are interacting with their favorite alcohol brands as well:
Two-thirds (66%) engage with brands online, primarily through the brand’s website (28%), followed by social media (22%).
As brand familiarity is important to alcohol buyers, actively connecting to buyers online is essential for liquor brands to have an edge over competitors.

Methodology

Provoke Insights conducted a 15-minute survey in the fall of 2022 among 1,500 Americans between the ages of 21 and 65. A random stratified sample methodology was used to ensure a high degree of representation of the U.S. population (household income, age, gender, geography, ethnicity, and children in the household). Statistical differences between subgroups were tested at a 95% confidence level. The margin of error is +/-2.5%.

The traditional holiday season is filled with family, joy, and tons of shopping. This year, inflation, the economy, and job stability are on people’s minds. How will this season be different from others? How should brands react to this changing environment?

At Provoke insights, a full-service market research firm, our bi-annual consumer trends study keeps a pulse on the market across multiple industries. The extensive study allows Provoke Insights to stay ahead of the trends and understand consumer mindset in the current moment. We understand how the outside world impacts brands!

Here is a peek at the groundbreaking data included in the reports.

Is Santa in Savings Mode?

In fifteen industry-specific reports, our newest complimentary research highlights how consumer trends are shifting. Three years since Covid began, fears of the pandemic have decreased, but consumers have other growing concerns, from inflation to the economy. Jobs stability is not as much of a worry.

This wave, in particular, highlights how these concerns are affecting buying habits as we head into the most spending-heavy time of year.

Consumers fear their financial future. They are experiencing price increases, particularly at supermarkets and restaurants. These concerns are lowering optimism levels below those of Fall 2020 and leading Americans to tighten their spending. Almost three-quarters (70%) of consumers report being more budget conscious in the past six months. Consumers eat more at home, make fewer impulse purchases, and buy store-label brands. One in ten say they are cutting down travel.

What Can Brands do?

As budgeting constraints affect multiple industries, brands must actively reach consumers this holiday season. Couponing or exclusive experiences may help consumers open their wallets and prevent buyer hesitation. Maintaining relationships with buyers through social media can keep products top of mind, giving buyers time to think and make their purchases decision less impulsively.

Though some strategies can apply across the board, each brand must decide what is best for their industry and company. Check out our industry-specific reports from our Winter2023 Trends, and keep following our blog for industry summaries.

Methodology

Provoke Insights conducted a 15-minute survey in the fall of 2022 among 1,500 Americans between the ages of 21 and 65. A random stratified sample methodology was used to ensure a high degree of representation of the U.S. population (household income, age, gender, geography, ethnicity, and children in the household). Statistical differences between subgroups were tested at a 95% confidence level. The margin of error is +/-2.5%.

All brands, regardless of industry, are competing for consumer support and loyalty. How can brands best understand their market share? Competitive analysis research can be a brand’s blueprint to gauge how they stack up versus the competition. This research can measure a product’s awareness, satisfaction, and loyalty while also comparing the metrics to those of similar products. Though the research has immense value, conducting it can be tricky. Here are some pros and cons to help determine if competitive analysis research is the best fit for your brand.

The Pros of Competitive Analysis

See where your brand stands against competition

It is imperative for any company to pinpoint who its competition is in the market. Otherwise, how can you measure the success of your product? Competitive analysis can help answer a number of questions about how your brand is perceived compared to the competition in the market. How aware are consumers of your brand vs. others? Which brands in your competitive set lead in ad awareness? And ultimately, which brands do consumers prefer? Answering these questions sets benchmarks based on other products to assess their own success.

Understand consumer choices

Just as important as “what” brands consumers buy is “why” they choose to buy them. If a brand is a leading choice among buyers, it is important to know what works so that the company can continue to provide these attributes in its products. Conversely, if a brand seems to be playing catch-up to the competition, companies will need clear direction on improving their offering. It is crucial to include probes within your competitive analysis to gain a strong POV of why or why not they are purchasing your brand. This will allow you to better assess the top attributes that lead to purchase and loyalty and the pain points that deter a consumer from picking the product.

Measure growth with tracking research

Knowing how your brand compares to the competition at a given moment can be helpful, but tracking the changes over time takes competitive analysis to the next level. Integrating a competitive analysis into an annual or bi-annual brand tracker can reveal consumer behavior changes as companies adjust their products and advertising. Though this can benefit any brand, this methodology is especially useful for companies that are not currently the top consumer choice. Tracking a competitive analysis over time can help these brands make adjustments based on consistent consumer feedback to allow them to grow and ultimately overtake the competition.

The Cons of Competitive Analysis

Picking the wrong competitors can tank your research

To run a successful competitive analysis, the brand in question needs to be compared to the proper competitors. A company may want to compare against as many brands as possible, but overcrowding a survey with too many options can flatten the research results. Additionally, brands may have different competitors in different markets, making a national study tricky to create and analyze. Companies should consider conducting preliminary research to uncover the true competitors to include in the analysis. It’s also smart to always include a question on unaided awareness to pinpoint additional brands that can be included in future waves.

You may be unprepared to take in what you find

Sometimes research needs to be the humbling voice in the room. The nature of a competitive analysis could bring in negative sentiment toward your product and an outpouring of praise for a competitive brand. Sorting through such results can be disappointing and difficult to accept. For this reason, it is important to design your survey to give you strategic results and clear calls to action. As a result, your brand will likely see improvements in future waves.

Are you interested in our market research capabilities? 

• Take a look at our research strategies here.
• Email us at [email protected].
• Sign up for our newsletters here. 

How does your brand measure up in your industry? What is driving brand equity? And how can your brand stand out in a saturated marketplace? Does your advertising work better than your competition? Brands should look to benchmarks and norms to answer these questions. 

Provoke Insights has released multiple benchmarks that can be used to understand where an industry stacks up against others. Marketers can also use the data to determine where their brand is compared to others in its category.

Brand Equity Benchmarks

How strong is the power of the brand? How does your brand fit compared to the industry? Provoke Insights evaluated hundreds of brands toå come up with the industry average. 

The chart below assesses different characteristics that influence brand equity. The data below represents the general population according to the US Census. Each question was asked about the brands in the category below via a 7-point agree scale. The data shows an aggregate of the top three of the agreed scale.

Brand Loyalty Benchmarks

Consumers are more loyal to some industries than others. So, what does that mean? Some shoppers tend to stick with their favorite brand over and over again. This is particularly true in the automotive industry. However, in the hotel industry, travelers are less loyal as they want to try new brands.

The Brand Loyalty Benchmarks are based on a five-point scale from “only purchasing the brand” to “only purchasing other brands.” The loyalty score is calculated by the mean overall industry score minus the individual category score. For more information, visit out Spring 2022 Trends Page.

Proprietary Advertising Norms 

Provoke Insights also has several proprietary industry norms to help with advertising testing. These benchmarks are based on an aggregate of several ad tests. This information helps determine if the assessment of the marketing material is below or above the competitive advertisements.

Are you interested in our market research capabilities? 

• Take a look at our research strategies here.
• Email us at [email protected].
• Sign up for our newsletters here. 

While furniture tends to be a household item purchased infrequently, there are plenty of consumers who recently bought in this category. Among those who are buying furniture, what are their similarities and motives? How do these consumers feel about furniture brands? Where are they going to make their purchases? In Provoke Insights’ fourth wave of in-house research, we aimed to discover consumer mindsets, purchasing trends, and brand loyalty in several industries, including furniture.

Who’s Buying Furniture?

In the last month, nearly one in ten Americans (9%) purchased furniture. These consumers were more likely to be employed full-time and have children. They are also willing to pay more for sustainably sourced items and read the newspaper weekly. Interestingly, furniture shoppers are more concerned about shopping in-store due to COVID.

A major home improvement was a common motivator for furniture purchases. Furniture shoppers were also more likely to have recently moved homes. Furthermore, these shoppers have discretionary income to spend. In addition to furniture, they are buying other high-ticket items, such as electronics, vacations, and cars.

Where Are They Shopping for Furniture?

While in-store purchasing remains a popular furniture purchase method, online shopping in this category and catching up. Over two-fifths of furniture shoppers (43%) used the Internet for their purchases. The main reason for buying furniture online was the ease of purchase, followed by lower prices, free delivery, and more inventory available.

However, the in-store experience is not going away as the majority (79%) of consumers want to buy future furniture in stores. Those who plan to purchase online are younger, parents, affluent, and living in urban areas. Additionally, these online furniture purchasers are willing to pay more for sustainably sourced items.

Lack of Loyalty

Brand loyalty in the furniture industry is not high. Less than one-third of consumers (31%) said that they only or mostly purchase one brand of furniture. The majority of furniture shoppers (62%) purchase from many different brands. This lack of loyalty signals an area of improvement for furniture companies to stay top of mind.

Download the full report for free here.

Methodology

Provoke Insights conducted a 15-minute survey in the spring of 2022 among 1,500 Americans between the ages of 21 and 65. A random stratified sample methodology was used to ensure a high degree of representation of the U.S. population (household income, age, gender, geography, ethnicity, and children in the household). Statistical differences between subgroups were tested at a 95% confidence level. The margin of error is +/-2.5%.

When it comes to launching a new food brand or line, market research can be make or break in determining the product’s success. Research can answer questions such as:

• What is the ideal price for the product?
• Who has the highest propensity to purchase the product?
• What markets would the product be most successful in? 
• What are the current eating habits of prospects and customers?
• Who is the competition?

Market research surely isn’t the only contributor to a product’s success, but it is a good place to start in ensuring a baseline of security within the market. Included below are the different ways market research could be helpful within the food industry context.

Ideal Price

When trying to determine the perfect price for a product, there are a lot of possible market research techniques to implement. One of the most widely used techniques is the Van Westendorp Price Sensitivity Meter. This technique has participants assign prices to various prompts to understand the individual’s perception of the product’s value. Through plotting all of the price points collected, the ultimate result is theoretically the ideal price, something falling in between too-cheap and too-expensive.

Ideal Audience

One of the most utilized market research techniques to determine who the product should be marketed to is the use of segmentation. Researchers will ask consumers questions about themselves and their likelihood to purchase in an attempt to subdivide the market into more and less receptive consumers. Segmentation is a great technique because it helps companies better understand the sub-groups within their market and the different characteristics that are associated with each. This helps with understanding not only who to market to but how to market to them as well. 

Ideal Market

To help a company understand how successful their product is in a particular market, a company can determine a product’s market penetration. This involves quantifying how much of the market uses their product. This number can then be compared to their competitors to understand where they are falling short and thriving. Once this analysis is complete, a company can attempt to explore different marketing channels to increase its market share. Different channels could include premium and wholesale, for example. 

Trends

Market research can also be extremely helpful in understanding the current market situation. Because the economy, inflation, and world politics are so dynamic, companies must have a solid read on their market to ensure their product’s success. For example, in the last decade there has been a massive shift from brick and mortar stores to online purchasing platforms. Market research can help companies understand how best to market to their consumers in an increasingly online world, whether that means redesigning their websites, increasing their SEO, paying for pop-up ads, etc. In any case, it is essential that companies stay ahead of the curve and continuously iterate their marketing strategies. 

Understanding the Competition

Not only does market research help a company understand how customers are interacting with their product, but also their competitors. Especially in the hyper-competitive food industry market, companies that have a good understanding of their competitors will be able to better differentiate their products from the pack.  

Conclusion

As our world continues to change and evolve, so does the market. Consumer needs and preferences sometimes can be hard to keep up with, but market research allows companies to stay ahead of the curve during all product development and launch stages. This research is helpful and necessary to ensure the product’s initial and continued success. 

Interested in reading more on market research? Check out our other blogs here. 

• Market Research & the Metaverse: What Does the Future Hold?
• How to Spot Bad Survey Respondents
• The Pros & Cons of Hiring a Market Research Firm

Are you interested in our market research capabilities? 

• Take a look at our research strategies here.
• Email us at [email protected].
• Sign up for our newsletters here. 

The COVID-19 pandemic changed peoples’ going-out habits. For countless months, people had to take a pause on their normal activities, such as going out to bars, restaurants, and parties. Quarantine and social distancing became the new normal. In fall 2021, as people began to venture out more and more, we saw an increase in alcohol purchasing. In the spring of 2022, Americans continue to purchase alcohol. But who is buying alcohol? What trends do they follow? Where are they drinking alcohol? How loyal are they to their tried and true brands? At Provoke Insights, we created our fourth wave of in-house research with the goals of tracking consumer mindsets, purchasing trends, and brand loyalty in several industries, including alcohol.

Alcohol Purchaser Profiles

In the last three months, 73% of Americans purchased some type of alcohol. Let’s break it down by type.

The Beer Shopper

Beer is the most popular choice of alcohol, with almost half (48%) of Americans purchasing it. These shoppers are more likely to be millennials, male, and parents. Interestingly, beer purchasers are also the most loyal to their brands with over half (51%) agreeing that they are only or mostly loyal to one brand of beer. As they have less apprehension about eating out at restaurants than other purchasers, drinking outside the home is not a concern for this group. In fact, one-quarter are ordering beer while dining out, and one-third are drinking beer at bars. 

The Wine Shopper

Wine came in second place, as 44% of Americans have purchased it in the last three months. These shoppers tend to be female and have children. Unlike beer, wine drinkers are the least loyal to a specific brand as nearly three-quarters are open to trying new labels. They are more likely shopping small business and online. 

The Liquor Shopper

42% of Americans are purchasing liquor. These shoppers are very similar to those who purchase beer;  male, parents, and are less concerned about dining out. While other types of alcohol are more often consumed at home or casual parties, Liquor is more commonly reserved for bars and special occasions. 

The Hard Seltzer Shopper

Hard seltzer has yet to become a popular alcoholic beverage of choice as less than one-quarter (24%) of Americans are buying it. Those who are drinking this product are employed full-time and are willing to pay more for sustainably sourced items. Additionally, these drinkers are loyal, as nearly half (48%) have a hard seltzer brand they only or mostly buy. 

In-Store Sales Dominate

Among all the different types of drinks, in-store purchasing is the most popular method of obtaining alcohol. Only 10% or less of shoppers from each category prefer to purchase online. While online shopping for wine was a popular method last year, it has decreased greatly. In 2021, 41% of wine purchasers bought wine on the internet. However, in 2022, this number has gone down to 10%.

Download the full report for free here.

Methodology

Provoke Insights conducted a 15-minute survey in the spring of 2022 among 1,500 Americans between the ages of 21 and 65. A random stratified sample methodology was used to ensure a high degree of representation of the U.S. population (household income, age, gender, geography, ethnicity, and children in the household). Statistical differences between subgroups were tested at a 95% confidence level. The margin of error is +/-2.5%.

The rapid development of the internet and technology has opened up exciting new platforms and ways of connecting with others like never before. The recent entrance of the metaverse, in particular, has started to get people questioning how the future of social connection will look. Important questions arise, such as:

• What are the ways that people will be interacting with the metaverse?
• How long, if ever, will it take for this platform to become ubiquitous?
• How will the metaverse change the structure of how we socialize in the material world?
• How will the metaverse affect business and consumption?
• How can the metaverse be utilized for digital advertising and market research?

 While many of these questions cannot yet be answered, it is interesting to speculate how this platform will change how individuals and businesses operate. Similar to the effects of social media such as Facebook and Instagram, we could be standing on the precipice of another shakeup to the structures we are so familiar with.

What is the metaverse?

Before getting into the specifics of the effects of the metaverse, it is first important to explain what it is. The metaverse is a virtual reality network in which anyone can join and collaborate with others. Users engage with a headset that immerses their sight and sound into virtual reality. They can do a wide range of activities, from playing games to talking in chat spaces to building worlds, and the capacity for its use is only growing. Every user has a customizable avatar that can be a realistic or unrealistic representation of their identity.

How the metaverse can be a tool for market research

While the metaverse will undoubtedly affect how we socialize, it will also affect less obvious fields, like market research. While little to none of the following examples are in effect now, they all represent possible changes and even improvements to how market research is conducted.

Virtual Focus Groups & Qualitative Research

One interesting direction for market research is the implementation of virtual focus groups and interviews. Instead of meeting on Zoom, as many companies do, individuals could interact with their interviewees through the metaverse. This could make respondents feel more comfortable, as they can maintain their anonymity while still feeling a person-to-person connection with the interviewer. Furthermore, potentially standardizing all avatars to look a certain way may limit the implicit bias of the interviewer because aspects of the respondent’s identity don’t need to be specified.

Virtual Meetings with Clients

Another way to utilize social interaction in the metaverse is virtual meetings with clients. Again, the metaverse can make the meetings more personable than Zoom while still serving to eliminate bias. Especially in the age when clients and vendors meet less often in person, it could function as a better substitute than Zoom.

A New Way to Survey

A way of integrating surveying into the metaverse is through virtual product testing. This could mean having users enter a virtual supermarket and monitoring which products they would purchase on an average shopping trip. Different simulations could include various iterations of the product design. Instead of simply asking participants what items they would choose to purchase, one could get a more realistic understanding of habits and brand perception by seeing how people act in a simulated setting.

Increased Opportunities for Market Segmentation

The introduction of the metaverse opens up a whole new market of people to target. Marketing efforts designed to target metaverse users could help businesses with product differentiation and brand awareness among a new population segment. For example, companies could pay to have their product placed at a virtual event or integrated into a game. 

Rediscovering Universal Truths

As the metaverse gains popularity, it will be interesting to find points of differentiation between how users engage with products online versus in virtual reality. For example, people will often purchase products that align with their self-perception. It will be interesting to see how this applies to the metaverse, as users can choose a potentially new avatar and persona.

Conclusion

As the metaverse changes how people interact with their environment, it opens up new market research and business directions. Perhaps as we continue to transition more interactions and services online, there will be a pendulum swing back to in-person socialization. Perhaps digital product testing will not be applicable to the material world, given users’ perception of the metaverse as intrinsically fantastical. However, the possibilities are endless now, and the metaverse might be the next big thing.

Interested in reading more on market research? Check out our other blogs here. 

• How to Spot Bad Survey Respondents
• The Pros & Cons of Hiring a Market Research Firm
• The Pros & Cons of Media Research

Are you interested in our market research capabilities? 

• Take a look at our research strategies here.
• Email us at [email protected].
• Sign up for our newsletters here. 

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, consumers were forced indoors but found that they had more time to focus on themselves. As boredom grew and the walls of homes closed us in, many took respite in the outdoors with activities like running, walking, hiking, biking, and golfing. As many now return to offices and schedules become packed again, are people still prioritizing their fitness like they were during the peak of the pandemic? Who is still exercising and buying fitness gear, and how are they making these purchases? Provoke Insights’ designed our fourth wave of in-house research to track consumer mindsets, purchasing trends, and brand loyalty in several industries, including fitness.

Americans are Active

Americans choose to get moving in their free time. Over half (51%) of Americans report that they exercise as a hobby. Additionally, outdoor activities remain popular, as many Americans continue to enjoy activities like camping/hiking (31%) biking, and golfing (13%.) 

Despite being active, fitness gear tends to be a more infrequent purchase. Few Americans have bought these types of items in the past month (12%). This is slightly down from 2021. The fitness purchaser remains to be a coveted consumer target. They are likely affluent, employed full-time, and parents with children in the household. While they report being optimistic about their future, they remain concerned about the impact of COVID on their health.

Where are Fitness Shoppers Shopping?

Although in-store shopping for fitness gear is strong, online purchasing continues to grow more popular among this target audience. Over half (55%) prefer buying from e-Commerce sites or the brand’s website, compared to 44% who would rather purchase in-stores. While many consumers are confident to shop in person again, the convenience and ease of shopping online is a growing trend that many fitness brands should consider when targeting this audience.

Brand Loyalty is Low

Brand loyalty for fitness gear has room to improve. Out of 15 industries that were scored by brand loyalty, fitness gear ranked 11th with a score of -8.39. However, fitness gear ranked higher for loyalty compared to outdoor gear (-11.89) and general apparel (-15.99). 

Among those who purchased fitness gear in the past month, one-third say that they only or mostly purchase one brand. Since the remaining two-thirds (68%) are open to purchasing new brands, there is an opportunity for these brands to win over this audience in the early stages of the consumer journey. 

Download the full report for free here.

Methodology

Provoke Insights conducted a 15-minute survey in the spring of 2022 among 1,500 Americans between the ages of 21 and 65. A random stratified sample methodology was used to ensure a high degree of representation of the U.S. population (household income, age, gender, geography, ethnicity, and children in the household). Statistical differences between subgroups were tested at a 95% confidence level. The margin of error is +/-2.5%.