Young Adults' Consumption Behavior

Introduction

Report Highlights

Reasons to Purchase

FUTURE DECODED

Key contexts and the overall importance of Young Adults

• The three most important Young Adult consumer groups for food, drinks and personal care manufacturers to target are Teenagers aged between 14 and 17 years old, Students aged between 18 and 24 years old and the Newly Employed aged between 18 and 24 years old in their first year of full time employment.
• Overall the number of Young Adults will decrease from53.2 million in 2002 to 51.8 million in 2007. Despite this the number of Students will nonetheless rise, although the number of Teenagers and Newly Employed will decrease slightly.

Lifestages and their affects on Young Adults'  needs

• Numerous need states exist that allow marketers to better approach targeting the Young Adult market. One of the most important needs for these consumers is to show their increasing maturity through their brand preferences. This creates opportunities to provide Young Adults with goods with a strongly adult positioning.

Marketing characteristics of Young Adults

• There is much speculation that these consumers are taking an increasingly cynical view of marketing. It is true that these consumers have been exposed to marketing then their peers from previous generations, but these consumers do not wholly reject marketing. However, many will be highly cynical towards marketing if they believe that tangible and substantive product features and benefits do not back the product claims being made.

Teenagers

• With income levels of this group set to plateau in the future it will require marketers to better understand their needs to ensure growth in the future. However, whilst physical and aspirational needs can be targeted, marketers need to ensure that they also act responsibly or run the risk of alienating parents who will often make the majority to Teenagers'  CPG purchases for them.

Students

• The key targets amongst the Student population are those who live away from home whilst studying. Students who live at home often behave similarly in terms to CPG purchasing to Teenagers. In contrast those who move away from home, albeit temporarily, develop new CPG needs and often need help in making effective brand choices. This represents a major opportunity for food manufacturers in particular who can target their need to have a balanced and varied diet at the same time as being easy to prepare and cost-effective.

Newly Employed

• These consumers are seeking to affirm their status as "adults" and often want to differentiate themselves from Students. This means that they are at a point in their lives where they are reassessing their CPG brand preferences. In particular they are looking to trade-up to higher quality goods and to escape the routines which they now find themselves following..

• Five key action points for those seeking to target Young Adults more effectively:

Action Point 1 – Target groups with more tailored messages

Action Point 2 - Add "coolness" to a greater variety of food and drinks

Action Point 3 - Target Teenagers by offering control, flexibility and fun

Action Point 4 - Help Students living away from home adjust to the change

Action Point 5 - Target the "switching" nature of the Newly Employed

DATASETS

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1: Snapshot of consumer groups (millions), 2002

Table 2: Overall Europe consumer group size comparison (population in millions), 1997-2007

Table 3: Gross income comparisons between 14-24 year old groups (€ per capita and total €bn), 2002-2007

Table 4: Overview of Young Adult groups'  spending (Euros bn and % spending), 2002-2007

Table 5: Teenager group size (millions aged 14-17 years old), 1997-2007

Table 6: Teenager group male/female splits (millions), 1997-2007

Table 7: Teenager group' s gross income per annum (€ per capita and total €bn), 2002-2007

Table 8: Children and young adults who state that "above all, they eat what they wish"

Table 9: Percentage of children and young adults who state that they eat the following every day

Table 10: Penetration of make-up and skincare amongst female Teenagers (%using) for selected countries, 2001

Table 11: Total Student population (aged between 18 and 24 years old) in millions, 1997-2007

Table 12: Students (18-24 years old) – male female splits, 1997-2007

Table 13: Students (18-24 years old) living at home (millions and total %), 2002-2007

Table 14: Students living away from home (millions and % all students), 2002-2007

Table 15: Students living away from home (18-24 year olds) gross income per annum (€ per capita and total €bn), 2002-2007

Table 16: Students living at home (18-24 year olds) gross income per annum (€ per capita and total €bn), 2002-2007

Table 17: Student drinks consumption behavior in Europe, 2002-2007

Table 18: Total Newly Employed population aged between 18 and 24 years old (millions), 1997-2007

Table 19: Newly Employed (18-24 years old) male female splits, 1997-2007

Table 20: Newly employed (18-24 year olds) gross income per annum (€ per capita and total €bn)

Table 21: Average European and Newly Employed frequency of eating out (per week), 2001

Table 22: Newly Employed drinks consumption behavior, 2002-2007

Table 23: Average European and Newly Employed frequency of drinking out (per week), 2001

Table 24: Potential "coolness" opportunities

Table 25: Total population aged 14 to 24 years old (millions), 1997-2007

Table 26: Students (18-24 year olds) gross income per annum (€ per capita and total €bn), 2002-2007

Table 27: Conversions of liters to servings

Table 28: Definitions used in this report

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1: Snapshot of consumer groups, 2002

Figure 2: Comparisons between European Young Adult consumer groups, 1997-2007

Figure 3: Consumption of alcohol across Europe by teenagers