Tech-Savvy Carnivores: How Technology is Shaping Meat Consumers’ Habits

From the morning alarm chime on a cell phone to a reminder in the evening that it is time to wind down for bed, technology is engrained in our days from start to finish. Consumers are using cell phones, tablets and laptops to track their movements, streamline their decisions and keep up with the latest trends. With technology entrenched in every part of our lives, Midan studied meat consumers to learn how they are using it to purchase meat, make mealtime decisions and interact with brands. We compiled these findings in our recently released Tech Usage Profile Report.

Midan’s Meat Consumer Segmentation 3.0 research found that over 90% of meat consumers are on social media at least once a week and over a third have purchased meat or poultry online.¹ Segments like Connected Trendsetters and Convenience Cravers spend even more time on social media and use technology to make purchases. To capture the attention and dollars of these tech-savvy meat eaters, brands must be prepared to fully engage these consumers online.

The following are three spaces where meat brands can focus on connecting with the consumer:

Social Inspiration

Social media has a major influence on today’s food trends. Some viral recipes have even caused product shortages because of their overnight popularity. (Remember when the baked feta pasta craze led to a feta cheese shortage?) Social media has become a platform for product discovery, inspiration and a place to grow and learn new skills in the kitchen. More than half of consumers are learning about food and cooking through TikTok or YouTube.² Not only does social media offer new recipes, it also gives peer reviews, a trusted source for many consumers.

Ensure your brand has a solid presence on social platforms. Partnering with influencers and professional chefs alike can grow your brand awareness and your audience. Cooking recipes is the most popular type of influencer content on social media³ and about a quarter of meat consumers say they follow a celebrity chef on social media.¹

Online Shopping

During the pandemic, there was a huge shift to purchasing groceries online for delivery or pickup. While this has waned since the pandemic, online grocery purchases have doubled over the past 10 years.⁴ Certain meat consumer segments are leading this charge: More than half of Connected Trendsetters and a quarter of Convenience Cravers plan to purchase meat online in the next six months.¹ Online grocery shoppers are primarily ordering through a grocery store’s website or app or a general delivery service, with over half these orders being placed from a phone. It is more important than ever to ensure your products have a strong e-commerce presence. Consumers want to know as many details as they can about the products they are purchasing. Including claims, product descriptions and images can go a long way to help drive online sales of your meat products.

In-Store Digital Presence

Consumers frequently turn to the web and social media when they want to learn more about a brand. Today, 64% of meat consumers say they want to know more about where their food comes from,⁴ placing a premium on transparency and authenticity.  Brands can leverage technology to communicate this digitally to consumers shopping in-store. In-store digital advertising boards and on-package QR codes are two simple ways to share your brand story and help your consumers learn more about your product on the spot. More than a quarter of Connected Trendsetters looked up product information in-store the last time they made a meat purchase.¹ Make it easy for consumers to learn more through seamless technology.

Because of how engrained technology has become to today’s meat consumers, you are missing a big opportunity to build awareness, foster loyalty, boost engagement and increase sales if you are not taking advantage of it to reach meat eaters.

Learn more about how today’s meat consumers are using technology in:

Sources:

¹ Midan Marketing, Meat Consumer Segmentation 3.0, 2023

² National Frozen & Refrigerated Foods Association, Shifting Consumer Eating and Grocery Shopping Habits, December 2023

³ Snap Inc. and IPG Magna, Unleashing Influence: A Marketer’s Guide to Influencer’s Success, February 2024

⁴ Anne-Marie Roerink, Principal, 210 Analytics LLC, The Power of Meat 2023, Report sponsored by Sealed Air Food Care Division/Cryovac® and Published by FMI and the Foundation for Meat & Poultry Research & Education