Millennial shoppers are concerned not just with personal health but also environmental health, and they’re willing to pay extra for products that are sustainable. This is one of hundreds of findings in What’s in Store 2017, the latest edition of the annual trends publication from the International Dairy Deli Bakery Association™ (IDDBA), and What’s in Store Online, a collection of over 150 downloadable graphs and tables, as well as links to white papers and trends articles.

Other findings in the book’s “Consumer Lifestyles” chapter include:

  • Latina shoppers are shifting traditional gender roles (primary decision makers), are becoming more affluent than ever before, and, in many instances, are increasingly becoming the breadwinners in Hispanic households, making them more influential both inside and outside their homes.
  • Millennials are more likely than other generations to incorporate a customized eating approach—such as paleo, gluten-free, or vegan—with 44% doing so within the past year.
  • The number of households in which both males and females shop for food continues to increase, resulting in more shared shopping trips.

“Just as retail channels are continually evolving, so too are the shoppers who frequent them,” said Eric Richard, education coordinator, IDDBA. “Today’s shoppers represent a variety of generational and ethnic demographics, and their palates and dining preferences are paving an exciting path into new tastes, flavors, and eating occasions. Supermarkets have the potential to be at the forefront of eating innovation and creation.”

With over 30 years of credible reporting, What’s in Store is an essential resource for dairy, deli, bakery, foodservice, and cheese departments and industries, providing vital data on retail and market trends, growth, and category changes shaping the food industry. What’s in Store is a secondary resource that is developed through both interviews with industry experts and sourcing third-party data and trends. (A complete listing of sources can be found here.)

This year’s edition again features a continuous storyline to improve user efficiency and provide greater clarity for professionals needing to understand today’s retail world. Through five themes, readers gain new insights and learn about marketplace influences. They are:

  • The Economy & Retail Trends
  • Channels and Competition
  • Consumer Lifestyles
  • Eating Trends
  • Technology and Marketing