Dads are changing. As more mothers have entered the workforce and become empowered outside of the home, dads have become more engaged with household chores like cooking, cleaning and grocery shopping. These trends are not just born of necessity; in the US, Canada, and countries around the world, it has become more acceptable for dads to take on what might once have been seen as a mom’s tasks and roles.
Opportunities in the grocery store
Grocery shopping, in particular, is an area that has seen significant growth for dads. According to GfK’s Consumer Life global study, 78% of dads around the world shop for groceries weekly, a rise of 9 percentage points since 2009. The increase is particularly pronounced in North America, where 87% of Dads do a weekly grocery shopping trip, an increase of 12 percentage points since 2009.
The implications for brands
These shopping trends have implications for brands of all categories -- especially those in the consumer packaged goods space. In our recent webinar series, “The New Contract between Moms and Dads” we explored three anchors that are important for brands to keep in mind when targeting the increasingly important dad segment of the buying population:
- Dads buy from brands they trust. More dads today indicate that they only buy products or services from a trusted brand.
- Dads are interested in what others have to say about brands. Dads are more likely than moms to agree that they are “interested in other people's opinions about what products and services to buy.” While moms feel more confidence in selecting one brand over another based on characteristics, dads will look to the influence of others to aid their decision.
- Dads buy nostalgia. In the US, dads are significantly more likely than moms to buy brands they grew up with. They will share their past and present memories of these brands with their children, as well.
Today’s dad is much different from dads of the past. They have increasing power and influence in the home and at the shelf. Brands in particular are important anchor points and should establish themselves as (modern) dad friendly. Expect these trends to continue to accelerate as the next generation of dads (aka the Now Generation) will continue to increase their shopping and other household responsibilities. Take into account the key anchors – trust, influence, and nostalgia – to be successful with dads at the shelf.
Tim Kenyon is Vice President on the Consumer Life team at GfK. He can be reached at tim.kenyon@gfk.com.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
