How Snack Brands Can Win the Generation Game | Industry Trend Insight
What's Included:
- Multiple Report Formats
- Access to our Clients Portal
- Custom Presentation Tool
Snacking habits differ across the generations. From older Baby Boomers to the emerging consumers of Gen Alpha, each generation has different snacking needs with implications for flavours, textures, ingredient claims, and packaging. In this special global consumer report, Mintel examines how consumer demands differ between the five main generations: Baby Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, Gen Z and Gen Alpha., and the best methods for snack brands to win over these consumer groups.
This report also includes examples of quintessential snacks for each generation, created by Mintel’s new AI product concept generator, Spark.
Key Insights Delivered in this Report
- What are the favoured features of Gen Alpha snacks
- How Gen Z snacking can be enlivened with flavour experimentation.
- How are mindfulness and an adventurous mindset influencing Millennial snacking habits.
- What are the most important aspects of Gen X snacks.
- How can snacks cater to the increasingly active lives of Baby Boomers.
Meet the Expert Behind the Analysis
This report is written by Jonny Forsyth, Director of Mintel Food & Drink. Jonny has been an analyst at Mintel for 15+ years and previously specialised in coffee and alcoholic drinks, regularly appearing on TV to share his insights. Jonny previously worked for a global media agency and national newspaper.
Snacking has disrupted ‘old-fashioned’ mealtimes. However, snacking needs differ as consumers age. Get inspired; discover how to make each generation hungry for your snacks.
Jonny Forsyth
Director of Mintel Food & Drink
Collapse All
-
- What you need to know
- From energy and excitement to sustenance and satiety
-
snacks that will make gen alpha hungry
- Pester power has evolved – the kids are now in control
- The new kids want food offering fun and flavour
- Why snack brands need to up their game to win over Gen Alpha
- Graph 1: proportion of video game players, by generation, 2024
- Cute – and kawaii – is the new cool
- Snack brands still need to keep parents happy some of the time
- Mintel’s concept generator creates three quintessential Gen Alpha snacks
-
snacks that will make gen z hungry
- (Say you will) boldly go where no snack flavour has gone before
- Snack brands that challenge Gen Zs via taste and appearance
- For Gen Z, handling flavour intensity is a badge of honour
- Gen Zs may have more energy, but they also need more energy
- Graph 2: which time of day consumers snack for energy, by generation, 2024
- Energy snacks can steal a greater share from energy drinks
- Nostalgic snacks are soothing for an angst-ridden cohort
- Graph 3: behaviours related to eating and buying chocolate, by generation, 2022
- Nostalgia is in the past! Tap into ‘nowstalgia’, ‘fauxstalgia’ or ‘newstalgia’
- Mintel’s concept generator creates three quintessential Gen Z snacks
-
snacks that will make millennials hungry
- Compared to Gen Z, Millennials are more mindful and adventurous snackers
- Graph 4: attitudes to international foods, by generation, 2023
- Target Millennials with exotic flavours and cleaner ingredients
- Millennials and social media are creating demand for pretty, exotic snacks
- Snack brands can help Millennials become more mellow
- Brands to help Millennials de-stress and refocus
- Mintel’s concept generator creates three quintessential Millennial snacks
-
snacks that will make gen x hungry
- As Gen X face up to being ‘old’, permissibility becomes a priority
- Graph 5: interest in different snack bar attributes, by generation, 2024
- Dial down sugar and sweetness and dial up benefits
- As taste becomes more sophisticated, texture matters more
- Graph 6: agreement that an appealing texture (eg extra creamy, crunchy) makes a food or drink an indulgent treat, by age^, 2024
- How texture can make snacks more enticing for Gen X
- Mintel’s concept generator creates three quintessential Gen X snacks
-
snacks that will make baby boomers hungry
- Snacks can cater to the increasingly active and healthy lives of older people
- Baby Boomers are deadly serious about health, but still seek occasional indulgences
- OK Boomer, time to embrace morning snacks
- Graph 7: typical breakfast and morning snacking habits, over-55s*, 2024
- Light, nutritious and tasty products can tempt Baby Boomers to have a morning snack
- Target Baby Boomers with acceptable afternoon indulgences
- Graph 8: times at which over-55s typically snack, by daypart*, 2024
- Make indulgent snacks more permissible for Baby Boomers
- Muted taste buds call for stronger snack flavours
- Richer-flavoured snacks that can tempt Boomers to treat themselves
- Mintel’s concept generator creates three quintessential Baby Boomer snacks
- Key takeaways
What is a 'Future of' Report?
Have you ever wondered how to get a clear view of what’s next for your industry? Forget the crystal ball, what you need is a Mintel ‘Future of’ reports. The reports offer a forward-looking perspective, helping you identify upcoming opportunities and navigate the trends that will shape your business for the next five years and beyond.
How Mintel Builds a Picture of the Future
Creating a ‘Future of’ report is a comprehensive process that combines deep data analysis with expert human insight. Here’s a look at the core components that make these reports so valuable.
Expert Insights from Category Analysts
Our dedicated category analysts are at the heart of these reports. They bring years of industry experience and a deep understanding of global markets. They interpret complex data, connect the dots, and provide you with expert recommendations on what to expect in the next two years, five years, and even further into the future. They provide the strategic thinking you need to stay ahead.
Powered by Robust Data
Our analysis is grounded in solid data. A key source is Mintel’s Global New Products Database (GNPD), a powerful resource that tracks product innovation and launches around the world. By analysing this wealth of information, we can spot emerging patterns and shifts in the market. This data, combined with our knowledge of consumer behavior, allows us to anticipate what consumers will want next.
Designed for Forward-Thinking Strategy
Our ‘Future of’ reports are designed to help you look ahead with confidence. By focusing on trend forecasting and identifying future opportunities, these reports provide the insights you need to innovate and plan effectively. They are crafted specifically to help you anticipate market shifts and make proactive decisions, ensuring you and your business are prepared for what’s to come.
£ 995 (Excl.Tax)
- Pay by credit card or purchase order
- Receive a discount when purchasing multiple reports
Next Starts Here
Whatever your business needs, we have the solution. From market intelligence reports to customised growth strategies.
Learn moreTrusted by global industry leaders
There is no question that Mintel is the go-to resource for the best quality market research, but I did not think it was an affordable option for Abacus Marketing to consider. As a small marketing agency, we only work with a few new clients each year.
However, we have a very high-end consultative approach to our work, so we really do need a partner like Mintel to provide the big agency experience we are always aiming to deliver. Our clients come from an incredibly diverse range of industry sectors, so we obviously need access to market research reports from a very wide spectrum of marketplaces – and that is precisely what we got.
Stephen Taylor-Brown, Managing Director, Abacus
Mintel is really good for getting a handle on a particular category quickly. If we are working on a new business pitch in an area we don’t have much experience in, it’s a brilliant way to get up to speed with what’s going on, what’s changing and what the key trends are in any category.
It’s very rare now that anyone will plough through a 200-page report – that’s why the summaries are really useful. We know they are backed up by a lot of detail, so if you need to go into something in more depth you know the information will be all there for you.
Pauline Robson, Managing Partner, Mediacom
We’ve found it so useful working more closely with Mintel. They helped support our recent flagship event for our top suppliers by providing a really unique viewpoint on the future of online retailing.
Nick Carroll from their Retail Team was also an excellent panelist, sharing useful and actionable consumer insights. We definitely look forward to working with Mintel again on future projects.
Zac Steele, E-Commerce Trading Development Manager, Waitrose & Partners
We utilize Mintel Reports, Trends and Comperemedia to mine for insights across the numerous business verticals that Epsilon serves, such as CPG, automotive, telecom, healthcare/pharma, retail and financial services.
By integrating Mintel insight into new business opportunities, we have been able to gain the competitive edge necessary to advance partnerships with global brands and key business players.
For our organization, it’s about depth and breadth. Having one without the other doesn’t enable success in our business.
Virginia Harvey, Secondary Research Manager, Epsilon
We use Mintel Reports, mostly for financial services and ecommerce markets, plus a few retail and technology ones.
As a leading payments provider, we value additional insights into consumer behaviour, opinions and trends that are shaping the many different markets we operate in. Mintel is a very good and very quick way for us to obtain those insights.
We use Mintel to get a view on where a particular market is going, which can support us in product development and help us identify opportunities or indeed risks, it is a very useful barometer of a market’s potential.
Andrew Neeson, Market Intelligence Manager, VocaLink
Next Starts Here
Whatever your business needs, we have the solution. From market intelligence reports to customised growth strategies.
Learn more
