The evolution of grocery shopping is being shaped by consumer trends and the grocery industry has been shaken up by the changing faces of shoppers.
During the heydays of the 1950s and 1960s, when A&P and Kroger were dominant, moms were the traditional shoppers. In 1985, Valerie Zeithaml's article “New Demographics and Market Fragmentation” in Journal of Marketing pointed out grocery shoppers were no longer traditional homemakers, but were men, working women, senior citizens, singles and teens. Almost 30 years later, we are sensing changing dynamics and new fragmentation. There doesn’t seem to be a “primary shopper” role within households anymore.
For years more men have been shopping, but they are now really enjoying the experience. In the 1980s, Zeithaml claimed men experienced role conflict because they didn’t feel it was their job to shop. Not so anymore. They are labeled “manfluencers” and relish the “bromance” of finding bargains. Research shows 50 percent of men do 50 percent of the grocery shopping. According to Midan Marketing, 75 percent make grocery lists and use coupons. But be careful they don’t run you over with their carts, because their eyes are fixated on their digital devices.
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