Gen Z Disrupts Millennial Formula
“As a counter to millennials’ overcorrection, Gen Z sees the pendulum swing back to embracing both traditional and emerging brands equally,” said Andrea Hernández of food and beverage website Snaxshot.
At the Summer Fancy Food Show session titled "Snack Attack Unleashed: Gen Z Trends," Hernández discussed the trends that resonate most with Gen Z within the marketplace that Millennials helped shape.
Millennials are concerned with cleaning up the food industry with specialty products that emphasize healthier ingredients and production methods. What Hernández called the “better-for-you chasm,” developed “as Millennials sought to undo their indoctrination into the sweet snacks from legacy brands in the 90s.”
On the other hand, Gen Z is skeptical of the veracity of these claims, and question the need for snacks, especially unhealthy ones, to have to serve a functional purpose.
“Gen Z is not looking to inherit the functional ‘mad-libs’ that have plagued the new wave of beverage and snacks, instead, they reject the ‘goopification’ of food and beverage,” she said, meaning, rather than worry about product functionality, the generation prioritizes tastes and aesthetics.
Hernandez said that Gen Z has no doubt been influenced by product packaging and unique products, having grown up with social media. Moreover, the trend trickles down from Millennial sentiments. She cited a Pinterest study that found that, in 2021, Millennials were most likely to renovate their kitchen pantry, often opting for bare shelves on which they can show off their beautiful specialty products and ingredients, a phenomenon she calls “the pretty pantry paradigm.”
Hernández added that these specialty products also “status signal.” Specialty food brands have the opportunity to market a premium experience to younger generations, she said.
“Gourmet goes mainstream as the premiumization of the pantry becomes a coveted position for both old and new brands, representing growth opportunity in otherwise stale and oversaturated categories,” said Hernández.
She emphasized that Gen Z tends to be more open to trying new experiences than other generations, making space for new brands situated in unique and modern flavors and production methods to triumph. One example is the success of Sauz, a pasta sauce maker marketed as “not your grandma’s.”
As a result, Gen Z has the lowest brand loyalty compared to the generations before them.
“Gen Z-led brands do not necessarily care for tradition or legacy, but rather for products that can adapt to their changing preferences,” said Hernández.