Into the Minds of Consumers: What Matters Most in 2022

What do consumers really value? These days, with so many food and flavor trends gaining traction, it can be difficult to discern which ones are most important to consumers. Brands sometimes struggle with balancing and prioritizing consumers’ numerous demands and desires. Telling the difference between a fad and a trend that’s here to stay can also pose challenges. Consumers will reward brands that really “get” them and reflect their values – and their cravings – through new product launches. That’s why it is so important to understand what consumers want and what really matters the most to them. Here’s a look at some consumer values and desires to consider while innovating.

Supporting Mental & Physical Wellbeing

Food serves many functions beyond just providing energy. Many consumers use food for comfort, to help achieve specific fitness goals, and to address certain health concerns. Understanding what your target demographics are concerned about – whether it be finding relaxation through food, supporting their immune systems or heart health, or losing weight – is essential for innovating in meaningful ways that help consumers achieve their goals.

One of the top concerns consumers have these days is related to their mental health and wellbeing. The stresses of daily life have been overwhelming for many consumers over the past two years, so they’ve been looking for products that help them relax or provide some much-needed comfort.

Convenience is Key

With consumers adopting increasingly busy lifestyles, they want brands to innovate to create convenient ways for them to support their health and wellbeing goals, too. So, innovating around portability and options for making consumers’ lives easier – while helping them achieve their goals – should be a priority in order to appeal to busy and stressed consumers.

Consumers are excited to have their calendars full again, but that also means that they have less time to prepare full meals and experiment in the kitchen. Providing shortcuts for making meals that are still exciting, trendy, and delicious is a great way to allow consumers to be adventurous, without requiring them to put in a lot of work. They’ll appreciate brands that let them explore with food, while accommodating busy schedules.

Prioritizing Sustainability

The ongoing climate crisis has generated widespread concern about reducing our carbon footprint and lessening the impact that manufacturing practices and waste have on the environment. Sustainability has become super important, and consumers have been looking for brands that have made efforts to implement sustainable practices. From packaging innovations to products that upcycle ingredients that would otherwise be wasted, there are numerous ways for food companies to work on becoming more sustainable.

In recent years, some brands have introduced plans to become carbon neutral, meaning that they are working towards completely offsetting the negative impact that their manufacturing processes have on the environment. Keeping consumers updated on any sustainability measures can be helpful not only for demonstrating that your brand shares similar values, but also for inspiring consumers to take their own steps towards sustainability.

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