Dive Brief:
- Food gifts are trending toward more personalization, with just over one-third (34%) of consumers who purchased a food gift in the past year reporting they chose a gift that had special meaning for the recipient, according to a Packaged Facts report.
- To make food gifts seem more personalized, manufacturers can target common interests of certain demographics, such as men, women and children.
- The winter holiday season — including Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa — remains the primary time of year for food gift purchases. About half of consumers who bought food gifts for others and nearly one-third of consumers who bought food gifts for themselves did so for this time of year.
Dive Insight:
By creating themed gift baskets, manufacturers can help consumers find food gifts that appear to be crafted specifically for the recipient or someone like him or her. Generalizing demographics' tastes may not always yield an exact match for a recipient, but it removes much of the groundwork for the purchaser.
Children's gift baskets often revolve around a kid-friendly theme, particularly those with toys or featuring characters from movies, TV shows and pop culture. For men, popular food gift themes tend to revolve around sports and barbecue flavors.
Women's food gifts tend to run the gamut more so than for other demographics. Instead, Packaged Facts recommends manufacturers consider theming elements such as color to make food gifts seem more personalized. Analysts recommend experimenting with multi-color themes and seasonal color trends.
Since food gifts are already a special occasion, manufacturers should consider upping the indulgence factor. Confections — particularly chocolate, sweet baked goods and nuts and salty snacks — are common food gifts. So are coffee, tea, hot chocolate and alcoholic beverages, such as wine or packages with a bottle of liquor and drinking glasses.