NUTS could find an expanded consumer category in millennials who are looking for “brain food”.
The concept was one of the outcomes to emerge from the Colmar Brunton’s Project Activate, which looked at further understanding the perceptions and behaviours of young transitionals and parents of younger families, as well as how best to communicate the healthy nut message to them that will have the greatest impact on consumption.
Commissioned by Horticulture Innovation Australia and Nuts for Life, the project’s results were delivered at the Australian Nut Conference in Melbourne in March.
The research used interviews and in-store shopping to monitor how millennials purchase nuts.
The results suggested light consumers tended to be younger, with effective targeting of this group requring social media inclusion, relevant messages and improved shopping experience.
Colmar Brunton’s Dr Denise Hamblin and Fiona McKernan spoke on marketing nuts to millennials, saying the younger generation can in fact be motivated to eat more nuts.
"However we found they really need more information and encouragement to do so,” Ms McKernan said.
She said the target group lacked the knowledge of regular nut consumers, and they weren't using them for celebrations or occasions, and didn't know much about different varieties.
But the brain food and cognitive health message seemed to strike a chord.
According to Colmar Brunton, the brain food angle is a “unique and highly appealing proposition for all nut consumers”.
The researchers said promoting the protein content of nuts also had some potential.
"It was really interesting talking to some of the young consumers – they don't want to hear about cholesterol; they don't want to hear about heart disease because it's not their problem right now,” Ms McKernan said.
"It's about reinvigorating those health messages in a really positive way."
The research results also concluded that Nuts for Life could be a platform to implement a targeted campaign.
However, Dr Hamblin said it would need broader industry support throughout the supply chain.
Areas of impediment to purchasing included perceptions of expense, allergy-related concerns and supermarket placement.
"When we went on these accompanied shops, it was like being lost in a maze,” Dr Hamblin said.
"Trying to find the nuts; often we found them in three or four or five different places, and particularly for our light to moderate consumers, they didn't even know where to find them so it was all a bit of a mystery."