I am not a huge fan of profiling buying habits. However I recently came across an article on the web that I feel has something relevant to say about “target marketing”. It covers a report from marketing specialist SAI Marketing, which concluded that there are two primary groups of food consumers in this country. One group they labeled “food elites,” and is comprised of college-educated, higher-income U.S. households. They named the other group “food realists.” SAI believes foods designed for one camp are rarely purchased by the other.

Shopping attributes associated to the “elite” camp include: a preference for natural/organic ingredients; a hand-made vs. industrial production process; tie-ins to media content for pleasurable foods (e.g. fine wine); the use of more complex messaging; and a focus on health issues.

For “realists”, food is viewed more as “fuel” (a necessity) with price as the key factor in purchase decisions. Here, effective tactics include coupons, bulk product displays and a focus on traditional and conventional foods.

An interesting concept to consider as part of your merchandising strategy.

Link to Article: MediaDailyNews