Active Explorers Go Out to Eat: Food for Thought.

Some of the world’s most adventurous, experiential people?

When it comes to food, they often choose the tried and true.

That’s just one of the unexpected, surprising, and insightful results we learned from our Active Explorer User Group. Conducted in late September and early October of this year, our survey included 433 respondents who fall into the Active Explorer psychographic – one of the most loyal, educated, and growing consumer segments. These are people evenly distributed by age between the ages of 25 – 65+, 40% earn between $100K- $150K household income. Many have a 4-year degree, and one in four have a graduate degree.

We asked a wide range of questions about how these customers think and feel about the food they eat, in restaurants and at home.

Did you know…

• Nearly 20% buy organic produce when available? (We thought that would be higher.)
• That 75% workout most days, or at least a few days of the week? (We thought that might be lower.)
• Nearly 40% dined out 3-5 times last month and nearly 20% dined out over 8 times last month? (We didn’t know what to think, but that’s good stuff.)

Here’s what really surprised us. We gave our people a pop quiz. What do you do when it’s Saturday, and you have nothing planned for dinner?

Our respondents told us that 59% of them planned to go to a restaurant for dinner rather than choosing to make something at home. We could see that. These people are seekers, adventurers, the ones who want to try that new place on the corner.

But of these respondents, 83% would choose a restaurant they’ve been to before, instead of trying something new. (That’s higher than we expected. By a lot.) That tells us a lot about how food connects with Active Explorers. Even though they’re a demographic most likely to try new experiences, when it comes to restaurants, their loyalty kicks in hard.

Of the 41% of Active Explorers who said they’d break out the pots and pans on a Saturday night, 85% plan the meal before they go to the store and 81% make a grocery or shopping list for it. This suggests opportunities to reach them while they are deciding at home and in planning mode — even at the last minute. They have good reasons to cook at home: cooking/preparing food at home helps AEs have control over what they are eating (20%) and it helps them save money (20%). They also believe that it has higher quality ingredients (16%).

As you’d expect from a demographic that likes to learn, Active Explorers report that their interest in cooking exceeds their skill level. 31% rated themselves a 5 for skill, while 38% rated themselves a 5 for interest.

What can we infer from these results? That when it comes to food, decisions are made well before the time to make them. That the opportunity to influence comes far before the moment of purchase. And maybe restaurants need to balance the thrill of something new with the comfort of the familiar.

But we’re just getting started. In our next post, we’ll explore the emotional and rational triggers that inspire Active Explorers to choose what they eat – and it’s more interesting than we thought.

Stay tuned. See you next week.