Feb 14-2013
Female smartphone owners use their devices more for grocery shopping than they did a year ago
Mobile food apps and social platforms like Pinterest are affecting mealtime more than ever before. According to a December study of female smartphone owners surveyed by AllRecipes.com from among the Allrecipes.com and Meredith Women’s Network community, not only are women consulting their devices while in grocery stores, they are also turning to them for inspiration on what to buy.
Nearly half of respondents reported using their smartphone more often while grocery shopping, and of those, 47% said they were doing so because apps were easy and quick to use in-store. Moreover, 36% said they sometimes used mobile apps to help decide what items to purchase for a meal.
For meal inspiration and menu planning, female grocery shoppers are also consulting social sites like Pinterest before even leaving for the store.
Among those surveyed who used Pinterest, three-quarters said they had tried new dishes inspired by what they had seen on the lifestyle-focused social network.
And Pinterest is becoming a bigger part of everyday life for female internet users. Thirty percent of those surveyed from the entire Allrecipe.com and Meredith pool reported using Pinterest at least once a week.
Although Pinterest may be getting more popular, a September study by Fleishman-Hillard and Motherhood.com indicated that websites were still king in terms of recipe sources US mom internet users accessed. However, Pinterest was not far behind. Seventy-eight percent of US mom internet users surveyed who looked for recipes online or off went to websites vs. 66% who said they’d used Pinterest.
These mobile and social tools may present new opportunities for food and CPG marketers looking to reach moms during their shopping excursions. Not only are moms showing they are open to new meal ideas, they are often making decisions while using their smartphones in the shopping aisle.
