Consumer Research from The Elephant Room Identifies New Attitudes Towards Snacking

“Time is just the thing that happens between snacks.” Frog & Toad

Snacking is no longer just a quick fix to fill the gap between meals, or a convenient way to stop an embarrassingly loud growling stomach on public transport. It’s a chance to positively influence your emotions, and to spice up your day.

Rulebreakers is our insight series aimed at identifying the pivotal shifts needed to future-proof sectors. In this edition, we're diving into fresh consumer attitudes towards snacking, giving you the inside scoop on what’s happening so you can stay ahead of the game. 

To get to the heart of the topic, we turned to The Guestlist, our inclusive community of over 2,200 creatives, asking them a simple but important question:

What would you change or improve to redefine the future of snacks?

We then went deeper into the conversation with focus groups, as well as supplementary desk research and third-party reports. What we discovered was a need for snack brands to catch up with shifting consumer attitudes. Here’s a small taster of three of the shifts we identified:

1. Mindful Munchies: Snacking as a Moment of Reset

We quickly found a common thread amongst our focus group participants: seeing snacking as a personal, solo activity that helps them escape the craziness of everyday life. 

Snacking helps them relax at home, or take a much-needed break at work. In the midst of the constant grind, snacking moments can make a real difference. Snacking interludes have the ability to turn stress into calm - and that’s a big deal for them.

One thing we noticed is there was a unanimous prioritisation of enjoyment and indulgence over healthiness. As Joanne put it, “I don't love healthy snacks because it feels like you're taking away part of your enjoyment”.

But that doesn’t mean people don’t care about what they eat, they just want to be mindful about it and choose quality over quantity. They’d rather have a small portion of something they love, than a big bag of something healthy that’s just ‘okay’.

This mindset is in line with “little treat” culture that’s huge across social media. People are using snacks as a small, but mighty way of taking care of themselves and elevating the everyday, just like the lipstick effect during a tough economy.

There’s a big opportunity for brands to embrace this attitude and help people make the most of their snacking moments and the emotions they bring.

2. It’s The Journey, Not The Destination: Snacking as an Experience

Our snack-lovers shared nostalgic memories that highlighted the importance of the snacking experience over the end result.

For example, Maria's fondest childhood memory was mixing different crisps in a giant bowl at age nine, creating her own custom snack mix. She wishes more brands would offer fun and interactive snacking experiences, like pop-up events or products you can customise yourself. Spudos, with their plain crisps and season-yourself "Spud Dust", is a great example of this.

People want to take control of their snacking experience, like experimenting with flavour combinations or creating their own unique creations. In fact, a whopping 75% of gen Z is more likely to buy something if they can personalise it. Swig Drinks in the US is doing it right with their "dirty sodas," which let you mix popular fizzy drinks with purees, fresh fruits, popping pearls, and more. This sometimes ends up as a disgusting, Frankenstein-esque final product - but the possibility of disaster and the reactions is all part of the fun.

The group also shared that discovering new snacks is just as exciting as eating them. They find new snacks through social media, exploring different shops, or even experimenting with their own recipes.

Even the way we snack can be a part of the experience. Instead of a regular meal, our group found fun in floor snack picnics, and trying novel snacks like Dairylea Lunchables.

Brands need to embrace the fact that it’s not just about the taste; it’s about the whole snacking experience.

3. Snack Safari: Snacks as experimentation

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For our group, snacking is like going on an adventure. They’re always on the lookout for new and exciting flavours and textures from all over the world.  As TJ put it, “I don’t like eating the same thing too many times in a row - variety is the spice of life”.

Our snack adventurers love trying global treats, mentioning snacks from India, Nigeria, Korea, Japan, and America. American sweets are a favourite because of the lack of sugar tax and the extreme levels of variety. Maria, for example, loves silky gem crystal candies from the US, with a crunchy exterior and a soft jelly interior.

This passion for discovering new global snacks means that when they travel, they always take time to go on a treasure hunt, exploring local supermarkets to find new and exciting snacks to try.

Besides global and unique flavours, they’re also drawn to snacks with eye-catching packaging and branding. They love brands that do fun collaborations (e.g Propercorn & KFC) and tap into cultural moments (e.g Propercorn embracing Barbie pink).

Brands can embrace this experimental way of thinking to encourage people to try their products.

Hungry For More?

Want to lead the future of snacking? Then we’re here to chat as your strategic and creative companion.

Get in touch with Dan Saxby at The Elephant Room to book in a deeper dive and what it means for your brand.