Personalized Food Gift Market on the Rise: Report

Innovations in seasonal gifts are becoming more personalized and designed for specific recipients, according to market research from Packaged Facts. 

Targeting specific demographics allows companies to better meet the wide array of common gift giving occasions with food gifts that appear more personalized. The research found found that 34 percent of those who have purchased a food gift in the last year said that they look for a food gift that has a special meaning for the recipient.

Packaged Facts covered the market in the August 2016 market research report Food Gifting in the U.S., 5th Edition. In the report, Packaged Facts identified three key demographic segments that offer the most lucrative potential and opportunities for growth: children, men, and women.

Kids: Marketing to kids necessitates a product have an element of fun. Character licensing and playability are two key factors in driving kid-appeal. As such, makers and marketers of food gifts targeting kids leverage both attributes in product designs. Selecting gifts with a theme that resonates with the child helps make the gift feel more personal.

Men: Guys can be tough to buy gifts for, company officials say, which opens the door for food products that tap unique and personal gift opportunities. Snacks, sports and BBQ emerge as popular themes used in food gifts targeting men.

Women: Food gifts for women can encompass a wide range of occasions; however, marketers continue to leverage the color pink to underscore feminine orientation. But while pink has historically symbolized the female gender, many women simply don't like this color. In light of this, marketers may want to experiment with multi-color themes, from bright colors to pastels—or even the popular ombre color trend. Utilizing seasonal color trends may also help craft a more unique strategy that can help refresh and update food gifts. 

These trends will play a pivotal role during the last several weeks of 2016. By food gifting occasion, among adults age 18 and up, the winter holidays are a food gifting mainstay: almost half of those who have purchased food gifts for others have done so for the winter holidays, while 32 percent of those who have purchased food gifts for themselves have done so for these holidays. During the 2015 holiday season, some 68 million consumers have given someone a specialty food gifts for the winter holidays (Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa).