Marketing Forecast from Ad-ology

For decades, marketers of cosmetics and skin care solutions positioned their products for mature women as being suitable for the 40+ age group. As Baby Boomers aged, marketers began talking to women in the 50+ age group. And as female Baby Boomers have indicated a continued interest in spending money to look their best, more marketers are seeing a niche for women in the next decade – 60+.

On September 12, 2010, Grandparents Day will reach its 31th anniversary. Like Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, it’s a time for family celebration, and a chance to honor the important role grandparents play in children’s lives. Today, an increasing number of grandparents have assumed daily responsibility for their grandchildren. According to AARP, 4.5 million children are being raised in households headed by grandparents. Today, approximately 2.6 million grandparents are responsible for most of the basic needs (i.e., food, shelter, clothing) of one or more of the grandchildren who lived with them in 2008. These grandparents represented about 41% of all grandparents whose grandchildren lived with them. Of these caregivers, 1.6 million were grandmothers, and 983,000 were grandfathers.

America’s twenty-somethings, known as the Millennial generation or generation Y, are connected, confident, and tend to live in the moment when it comes to making food choices, reports The NPD Group. According to recent NPD food market research, Millennials are more likely to say their food choices at main meals are motivated by cravings, cost control, and minimal preparation time. In addition, Millennials are much more likely than consumers in other age groups to use frozen entrees or other food items that are portable and do not require preparation. Millennials are coping with their economic challenges by making use of low-priced retailers.

Small TVs got a boost last June when the government mandate to switch to digital broadcasting took effect, but a year later, amidst a stronger economy, sales of smaller TVs have slowed as consumers are exploring bigger screens and advanced features, according to leading market research company The NPD Group. Sales of 19″ to 37″ flat-panel TVs in the U.S. were down 21% year-over-year in June according to NPD’s Retail Tracking Service. As prices continue to drop and consumer interest turns to connected televisions, LED backlighting, and 3D – features that are more likely to be prominent in larger sets – consumers are trading up for larger TV screens.

Nearly nine in 10 Americans (89%) have made changes to their lifestyles, including their food shopping patterns, to deal with the recession. Dollar stores and mass merchandisers continue to be the post-recession winners as shoppers seek to save more, with 36% and 33% of shoppers, respectively, visiting those types of stores more often in 2010 than 2009. Meanwhile, they are visiting supermarkets (27%), drug stores (29%), and convenience stores (34%) less often. Only 1% of shoppers believe they will return to their pre-recession spending habits.

Whole Foods Market recently announced results from its annual Food Shopping Trends Tracker survey conducted online by Harris Interactive, which found that organic foods are making a larger impact in consumers’ shopping choices in 2010. While about three out of four adults continue to purchase natural and/or organic foods (75% in ’10 and 73% ’09), the number of organic products found in their grocery basket has increased. Notably, 27% of adults say that natural and/or organic foods comprise more than a quarter of their total food purchases this year, up from just 20% a year ago. Most adults say current food prices continue to impact how they shop for groceries (84%), and the economy has impacted their cooking and eating habits (77%).