Consumers are looking for food that tastes good and fits into their busy lifestyles.
By Amber Koontz, Editorial Intern
In a time where consumers are always on the go, traditional sit-down meals are not always practical. These days, customers are finding their cup holders to be the new dining table.
This is why when it comes to meal options, customers are choosing offerings that are meant to be purchased singly for snacks, and purchasing multiples to make a meal. These snack options are usually more portable than traditional meal offerings and that convenience is attracting the on-the-go customer.
Although Americans are in search of convenient food options, most will not trade taste for convenience. The preference is that food is both convenient and good tasting, but if customers must choose between convenience and taste, they will choose taste. However, it is important to offer good tasting portable food options if you don’t want to lose business to another store or to a quick-service restaurant.
Quick-service restaurants may be popular choices for on-the-go customers, but many times this means sacrificing nutrition for taste and convenience. In today’s health conscious society, consumers want healthy options, even when they are too busy to prepare their own meals. This is where you can have the upper hand over your competition. Options such as fresh fruit and vegetables are being chosen for snacks and meals by many customers, and you can offer such healthful choices.
Also, despite some perceptions, packaged items can offer fresh and healthful options for busy customers. When it comes to driving food sales, it is important that customers can easily see which items can offer the taste, nutrition and convenience that they are seeking. It can be as simple as grouping your tasty and healthy on-the-go products together, where they can be easily found and accessed by customers. There is a great deal of room for profit from busy customers, and catering to their needs can be quite simple.
