33% of Germans consume food/drink content on social media platforms. While producing content is beneficial for brands to bond with buyers, only 35% of social media food/drink content users who shop for groceries have bought a food/drink product after seeing it on social media, signaling limited sales scope.
61% of social media food/drink content users use this content for meal inspiration. The thrifty nature of online recipes offers retailers/own labels an advantage in appealing to this cohort; they can use shelf signposting to guide buyers to low-cost picks. In turn, brands can use bold packaging to snatch shoppers’ attention. Direct-to-checkout social commerce platforms present an opportunity for players with strong social media followings.
Growing distrust in government and media institutions means consumers prefer to take food recommendations from trusted advisors – 33% take recommendations from friends/family, for example. Take a multifaceted approach to democratising content. Involve underrepresented groups such as elders with inclusive content that champions their cooking skills, while leveraging video content to drive transparency around issues like ultra-processing (eg with ‘how it’s made’ content).
While fast-moving viral trends present a real commerce opportunity, NPD poses a risk. Brands can adapt existing lines to conform to trends, while savvy players will anticipate what will endure once the hype peaks (eg pistachio launches that will endure beyond the ‘Dubai chocolate’ trend).
This report looks at the following areas:
- German shopping styles, including sources of inspiration when shopping for food/drink products
- Types of food/drink media content consumed and reasons for doing so
- Opportunities to engage German grocery buyers through social media content, both in store and as they scroll at home
- Broadening the reach of social media food/drink content through trust-building measures and age-/finance-based inclusivity campaigns. This section also focus on styles of communication, including using scientific expertise to build trust
- Examining the lifecycle of viral trends using the recent ‘Dubai chocolate’ trend, and establishing how brands can make the most of viral moments. This section will take a brief look at which trend could be next in the German market
Food and drink content offers inspiration for meals, but brands must be reliable and relatable to turn scrolling into sales. Those prepared to adapt quickly can unlock the commerce potential of viral trends.
Adam Millward, Research – Mintel Reports
Market Definitions
This Report examines grocery shopping behaviours and the factors influencing people’s choice of food and drink products both prior to and at the point of sale.
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
- What you need to know
- Opportunities
- Outlook
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OPPORTUNITIES
- Ensure food/drink content translates to sales
- Launching food/drink content offers several benefits for brands and retailers
- German shoppers have a window of spontaneity
- Brands and retailers can leverage content to tap into German buyers’ spontaneity window
- Retailers can appeal to online foodies by driving an online/in-store link
- Endcaps and bays can help brands stand out to impulse-led buyers
- The social commerce opportunity will continue to grow for food buyers
- Future outlook: AI Smart Carts will drive a link between inspiration and purchase
- ‘TikTok Brain’ incentivises brands to play by online rules on store shelves
- Building trust in the digital era
- Consumers look close to home for product recommendations…
- …challenging brands to break into buyers’ circle of trust
- Look to Food Trendsetters to get closer to consumers’ circle of trust
- How to reach and engage Food Trendsetters
- Inclusivity campaigns can speak to as wide an audience as possible
- Celebrate elder Germans for their culinary know-how
- Master meme marketing to help underrepresented groups feel seen
- Take inspiration from the ‘Wrapped’ trend to celebrate unique foodie identities
- Allay reliability fears with science-backed content
- Use ‘how it works’ content to take naturalism to another level
- Capitalise on trends as a food brand
- Food trends burn brightly but briefly…
- …successful brands will be reactionary, not revolutionary
- Fast reactors can adapt popular trends to apply them to their sectors
- Plotting the lifecycle of a viral trend: ‘Dubai chocolate’
- Why Dubai chocolate made a perfect viral food for the German market
- Savvy players will plan for Dubai chocolate’s ‘plateau of productivity’
- What could follow Dubai chocolate in Germany in 2025
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CONSUMER
- Styles of shopping for groceries
- A majority of Germans buy most of their groceries in one ‘main’ shop
- The youngest and eldest consumers shop in smaller doses
- Graph 1: styles of shopping for groceries (net), by age group, 2024
- Using a shopping list is common, with all-in-one shoppers doing so most often
- Graph 2: usage of a shopping list when shopping for groceries, by styles of shopping, 2024
- More than one in three Germans buy off-the-list all/most of the time
- Graph 3: frequency of buying items not on one’s shopping list, by styles of shopping, 2024
- Inspiration when shopping
- Word of mouth and direct advertising trigger purchase most frequently
- Graph 4: triggers for buying a food and drink products, 2024
- Tendency to ‘keep it in the family’ shows the need to build trust
- Graph 5: ‘I have bought a food/drink product after getting a recommendation from friends/family’, by age group, 2024
- Off-the-list shoppers are the most likely to be influenced by any source
- Graph 6: selected triggers to purchase a food or drink product, by frequency of buying items not on one’s shopping list, 2024
- One in three social media food/drink content users have bought a food/drink product seen on social media
- Limited Sales Scope
- Social media provides inspiration across categories
- German retailers have significant scope to turn scrolling into action
- Types of food and drink media consumed
- TV is the most commonly used source of food and drink content, but players expect social media to overtake it
- Graph 7: types of food and drink media consumed in the last three months, 2024
- Better-off Germans consume food/drink media most readily
- Graph 8: consumption of select food/drink media content, by selected financial situation, 2024
- Video and picture sharing platforms are the home of social media’s foodies…
- …speaking to the need to create Instagrammable launches
- Food/drink content is crucial in the meal planning journey
- Graph 9: reasons for consuming food and drink media content, 2024
- Attitudes and behaviours
- Just over half of users feel represented by food/drink content
- Graph 10: food and drink media consumers’ behaviours towards food and drink influences, 2024
- Users are split on whether they are well represented in food/drink media
- Those that feel represented are far more likely to have their purchases influenced
- Graph 11: selected influences that triggered the purchase of a food and drink product by ‘I think people like myself are well represented in food and drink media’, 2024
- Food content is an educational force with a global reach…
- …and can help Germans become more tolerant of overseas cuisines and culture
- Expert voices outrank influencers as brands battle for consumer trust
- Strike an expert tone to win trust in the age of fake news
- An informal communication style can humanise brands
- Graph 12: attitudes towards food and drink influences, 2024
- English communication lends a modern feel, but may worsen media’s inclusivity problem
- Graph 13: agreements that using English words in their communication makes German food and drink brands seem modern, 2024
- Using choice English terms makes a difference in how products are perceived
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MARKET DRIVERS
- Food prices will see Germans take fewer risks, but seek vicarious enjoyment more often
- Screen detoxes will see Germans use social media sparingly…
- …but online windows will be used to maximise comfort
- Fraying trust in institutions and media sources sees Germans look closer to home for advice
- A diverse German population will broaden consumers’ tastes and interest in overseas culture
- Prepare to reposition online messaging for elders as the German population ages
- Graph 14: population structure by age, 2022-30
- The next crop of German seniors will be more digitally savvy than the last
- Graph 15: activities typically done online, by age group, 2024
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APPENDIX
- Report scope and definitions
- Market definition
- Abbreviations
- Methodology – consumer research
- Consumer research methodology
- A note on language
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