MNI Blog  /  3 minute read

Defining Trends in Grocery Shopping, Education, and Baby Products

Looking ahead is key to developing sound marketing strategies. Three categories that are evolving rapidly are Grocery/CPG, Baby Products/Gear, and Higher Education, and marketers have lots of opportunity to build

NOVEMBER 2018 TRENDS IN GROCERY SHOPPING, EDUCATION, AND BABY PRODUCTS

Looking ahead is key to developing sound marketing strategies. Three categories that are evolving rapidly are Grocery/CPG, Baby Products/Gear, and Higher Education, and marketers have lots of opportunity to build their business in these industries. Keep reading to learn the top trends that will affect your marketing strategy in the short and long term, including

• How brick-and-mortar grocery stores can combat the rise of food delivery apps and meal kit deliveries.

• How to connect with parents and parents-to-be across all the media they engage with.

• How to reach prospective students, and their influencers, with campaigns that evolve with their interest.

 

GROCERY/CPG

Foodies are taking the world by storm, and grocery stores and food brands are benefitting from this trend, which shows no signs of slowing. Grocery sales continue to rise and are expected to climb 12% to $727 billion by 2021.

The rise of my favorite delivery apps and services, like Instacart, GrubHub, and UberEats, explains why digital grocery sales are expected to be the biggest driver of ecommerce growth over the next five years. With the amount of food that I order to my apartment doorstep, I’ll accept full credit for this significant growth. Some may even call me a trendsetter, because over half of U.S. digital grocery buyers plan to buy even more groceries online over the next year. By 2022, it’s estimated that 35% of U.S. households will spend at least one-third of their annual grocery budget online.

Grocery retailers and CPG brands, you’re welcome :)

As our on-demand culture continues to change the way people grocery shop, brick-and-mortar stores need to make sure they’re worth the visit. Wine bars, cooking classes, and in-store technologies are all examples of how grocery stores are transforming to become more than a place to buy milk. It’s all about the experience.

Millennials and households with children are both key target audiences for advertisers in the grocery industry.

Check out our Grocery/CPG Trends Deck to find out more about these audiences, as well as how to reach them both online and in targeted magazines.

 

BABY PRODUCTS/GEAR

Today’s families look a lot different than even the recent past. Kate Plus Eight seems like one of the last families of their kind. Mintel reports that more and more Americans are waiting longer to have children, and as a result are having fewer children. But marketers, have no fear. This just means that today’s baby shoppers have more money to spoil with.  It also means that today’s parents are seeking products and services that promise convenience and safety for their precious little ones.  Baby brands are reaching their audience across numerous channels, especially digital and magazine advertising. When it comes to digital, mobile is key for reaching busy moms on-the-go. And magazines are perfect for reaching moms while they’re relaxing at home, or at the point-of-care while they’re waiting in the reception area.

To take a deeper dive into today’s parents and baby consumers and how to reach them both online and in targeted magazines, check out our Baby Products/Trends Deck.

 

HIGHER EDUCATION

Colleges and universities need to market themselves differently than other industries. From email, video, and social media to mobile, influencers and search, technology has a major effect on marketing strategy for higher education. College attendance is expected to grow 15% by 2025, despite increasing student loan debt.

Today, colleges and universities need to create a complete online experience for prospective students, and for the people who influence them, including their parents and educators. Their websites and social feeds need to tout both the school’s quality of education as well as the appeal of its extracurricular opportunities.

It’s imperative to deliver the right message at the right time, and to understand the nuances between how to reach prospective students—from sophomores to seniors in high school—and their parents. Consistent, ongoing, cross-channel campaigns are the way to reach a wide audience. For example, most sophomores aren’t interested in campus visits, and most seniors are already connected to their favorite schools’ social platforms. Savvy marketers know to reach sophomores with a great website, and seniors with engaging emails.

And don’t leave print out of your holistic higher education media mix.

37% of students take action after seeing a magazine ad, and 72% of parents/guardians of children ages 15-17 read an average of nine magazines a month. (Source: GfK MRI, Fall 2017.)

People relax with their favorite magazines. They appreciate and trust the content inside, including the ads. And magazines offer the high-impact creative units that can include campus maps, removable open house invitations, calendars, and more.

Download our Higher Education Trends Deck to get granular on what will influence the industry in the weeks and months to come.