Research Highlights Beef Consumers’ Priorities
Nearly three in four beef-eating Americans can’t imagine giving up the taste of beef, and 62% of consumers say they purchase premium beef.
That’s according to new proprietary research from Midan Marketing, a full-service agency dedicated to meat industry clients. This new research on U.S. consumers sought to help meat processors and retailers understand how marketing claims drive beef purchases.
• 88% purchase at least some conventional beef
• 72% can’t imagine giving up the taste of beef
• 68% purchase beef with production claims at least some of the time
• 62% purchase premium beef
“Recent data from Mintel shows that 81% of American consumers eat beef,” says Bridget Wasser, associate director of customer insights at Midan. “We know that consumers are seeking out several attributes when shopping for beef, so we set out to determine which claims are most impactful. This data provides incredible insights to our industry partners and we’re excited to share our findings.”
The survey, which was fielded in April 2022, presented a nationally representative sample of U.S. beef consumers with 28 different product attributes. Claims tested ranged from quality claims including USDA Prime or Choice grade, production claims like grass-fed or carbon neutral, and sourcing claims such as locally raised or product of the U.S. Using MaxDiff analysis, researchers were able to rank each attribute across multiple consumer demographics. Insights can be tailored to a particular audience or shopper demographic so that processors and retailers can pinpoint the claims that are most meaningful to its target consumer.
“We weren’t surprised to find that price continues to be a major consideration for many shoppers when they buy beef,” notes Wasser. “However, the sheer volume of data we collected means that we can tailor insights to any size retailer or processor, uncovering consumer expectations beyond price. We can validate current strategies or shed new light on which claims motivate a particular group of shoppers.”
