Dinnertime Occasions: Winning Share of Stomach

Consumers' dinner behaviors are contradictory in nature. It is still the key daily meal in terms of size, but time-pressured lifestyles and convenience needs are clashing with heightened health concerns and desire for sensory satisfaction. This increases the complexity for CPG marketers, but also the opportunities for those offering solutions that balance such divergent needs most effectively.

Report Highlights
The average number of dinner occasions is in decline. Dinner does not have the same degree of sacrificial value as lunch or breakfast, but consumers are open to solutions that speed the occasion up, whether that be in terms of preparation or consumption.

Although the majority of dinner occasions still take place in the home, the center of gravity has shifted towards out-of-home eating. The added expense is however becoming relevant due to recession. Retailers stand to benefit if they can answer the need for home-based products that have strong experiential attributes and mirror on-trade quality.

Health has a growing influence on dinner. However, it suffers from the clash between consumers' desires for indulgent consumption, the need to prepare and consume food quickly and easily, and wider health concerns. It is thus in industry's interest to offer consumers attractive means of behaving ""better"" while meeting convenience and sensory needs.
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Table of figures 3
Table of tables 4
THE FUTURE DECODED 5
Introduction: Consumers' traditional dinnertime behaviors are being reshaped 5
TREND: The number of dinner occasions is declining 6
European consumers are skipping dinner more frequently than US consumers 6
Time-sensitivity is impinging on the traditional dinnertime 8
The recessionary environment may have a noticeable impact on dinner behaviors 9
Key takeouts and implications: dinner remains central to consumers' daily meal behaviors but is increasingly time-pressured like breakfast and lunch occasions 10
TREND: Consumers are increasingly eating dinner out of the home 11
The majority of dinner time occasions still take place in the home 11
Third place dinner occasions are becoming more popular 12
On-the-move and at work occasions are gaining share in the evening, echoing the trends at other mealtimes 14
Key takeouts and implications: foodservice stands to gain from consumers' eating out behaviors but home-based dinners remain the ideal 15
INSIGHT: Males and younger adults show the highest rates of dinner skipping 15
Males have a greater propensity to skip dinner 15
Teenagers and young adults are most likely to skip dinner 17
Aging populations will lead to more consistent dinner consumption habits 18
Seniors tend to balance convenience and comfort in their food preparation behaviors 18
Key takeouts and implications: marketers must research and understand demographic shifts and differing needs to tap into the market's hot spots 19
INSIGHT: Contradictory habits define evening meal occasions 19
Consumers are aiming to re-connect with family and friends over a freshly prepared meal 19
Consumers value the authenticity and comfort cues of traditional or home-style foods 20
Scratch cooking of the evening meal is still very common across all countries 22
Socializing in the home is influencing the nature of dinner occasions 23
Entertaining at home has a widening audience, particularly amongst younger consumers 25
Dinner time occasions are becoming less formal, as time-pressured consumers seek out quick and easy meals 26
Key takeouts and implications: strong potential sales lie where consumers' diverse motivations intersect 28
INSIGHT: Health concerns have a growing influence on dinner occasions 29
Consumers are more likely to sacrifice health for indulgence in the evening 30
Evening snacking behaviors can be adjusted to increase healthiness 32
Dinner time occasions are becoming more health oriented 32
The rise of light meals is driven by the dual benefits of convenience and health 33
Parents are using dinner time occasions to address their children's eating habits 34
Key takeouts and implications: help consumers manage their daily health needs with emphasis on the pivotal role of dinner 35
ACTION POINTS 36
ACTION: Market products that satisfy comfort cues with added convenience 36
ACTION: Target evening social consumption occasions 38
Expand online ordering opportunities for party hosts and individual consumers 39
Products that emphasize sharing have added value for social consumers 40
ACTION: Respond to health needs with nutritionally balanced meal offerings and healthy snacks 41
Portion control offerings for evening consumption offer a tangible health strategy for consumers 41
ACTION: Use focused demographic targeting to maximize product appeal 42
APPENDIX 43
Methodology 43
Further reading 44
Ask the analyst 44
Datamonitor consulting 45
Disclaimer 45
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Table 1: The number of per capita dinner occasions versus skipped dinner occasions, Europe, the US, Australia and New Zealand, 2007-2012 7
Table 2: Consumer survey: the frequency of skipping an evening meal, in 15 countries across Europe, Asia Pacific, South America and the US, 2008 8
Table 3: The number of per capita dinner occasions, by location of consumption, Europe, the US, Australia and New Zealand, 2007-2012 12
Table 4: Consumer survey: Frequency of eating a sit-down meal in a full service restaurant, in 15 countries across Europe, Asia Pacific, South America and the US, 2008 14
Table 5: The number of per capita dinner occasions, by location of consumption, by GENDER, Europe, the US, Australia and New Zealand, 2007-2012 17
Table 6: Number of skipped dinner occasions per capita, by age group, Europe, US, Australia and New Zealand, 2007 18
Table 7: Consumer survey: Degree of influence upon choice of food and beverage products by the ability to share products with friends or family, in 15 countries across Europe, Asia Pacific, South America and the US, 2008 20
Table 8: Consumer survey: degree of appeal of food and drink marketed as authentic, home-made or original, in 15 countries across Europe, Asia Pacific, South America and the US, 2008 22
Table 9: Consumer survey: Frequency of cooking an evening meal at home from scratch, in 15 countries across Europe, Asia Pacific, South America and the US, 2008 23
Table 10: Consumer survey: frequency of entertaining friends or family at home (for a meal, drinks or party) in 15 countries across Europe, Asia Pacific, South America and the US, by country, 2008 25
Table 11: Consumer survey: Frequency of eating a takeaway meal in the home, in 15 countries across Europe, Asia Pacific, South America and the US, 2008 27
Table 12: Consumer survey: frequency of preparing a main meal in the home that predominantly involves microwaving, in 15 countries across Europe, Asia Pacific, South America and the US, 2008 28
Table 13: Consumer survey: Frequency of snacking on food in the evening, in 15 countries across Europe, Asia Pacific, South America and the US, 2008 31
Figure 1: A variety of factors are reshaping consumers' dinnertime behaviors 5
Figure 2: US consumers view dinner as the second-most important meal occasion of the day from a health perspectiive 30
Figure 3: Sainsbury's Super Naturals ready meals offer convenient, healthy solutions with strong indulgent credentials 34
Figure 4: Case Study: Purely American Foods' Slow Cooker Gourmet meal kits 37
Figure 5: Case Study: Sainsbury's In-store Deli Party Platter service offers party hosts extensive menu options and local store availability at private consumer-friendly price points 39
Figure 6: Case Study: Room Service takes online meal ordering into premiumized territory 40
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