Many of your American millennial aged female consumers are excited about the new autumn season, and rightly so as even though we are in the middle of a pandemic, there is still plenty to look forward to and enjoy. This unique season brings with it beautiful weather, seasonal produce and ingredients, scents and tastes all uniquely owned by fall. In anticipation of winter being especially dreary, consumers tell us that they consider fall as their last bit of outdoor fun before we all tuck indoors for winter.
We asked Green Purse PR’s panel of Millennial women (including many mothers) what they’re looking forward to about fall, as well as what they have been buying, or plan to buy, in order to keep themselves and their families happy, healthy and properly entertained during their continued time at home, due to the pandemic. Listed below are some of what they shared with us.
Pumpkins spice lattes are always a big hit during fall.
“We’re trying to be outside as much as we can. You could not pay me to do any indoor activities with my kids right now, so we’re into things like farm visits, pumpkin patches, nature trails. So far we’ve decorated our front door with mums and pumpkins, I’ve bought several art and decorating kits for the kids and I’ve gotten more seasonal decorations to try to make it more special for the kids.”
“My online shopping orders go something like this — chocolate, wine, yoga pants, sports bra, more chocolate and more wine.”
“I love doing bonfires, the smell of BBQ and roasting marshmallows. My husband ordered a new firepit. I’m in the process of researching and buying some stargazing equipment - binoculars and a telescope as fall is really good time to see things in the night sky.”
“I’m still loading up on beverages - everything from tea, coffee, wine and beer to kids’ juice boxes and sparkling waters.”
“You still cannot hardly find any cleaning products in stores, so I’m constantly on a hunt for those and like a squirrel, I’m starting to hunt and gather toiletries, freezer foods and other household supplies so we won’t have to run out to the store as much.”
“I’m pretty exhausted of constantly having to think of new and exciting things to do to school and entertain my children. I’ll probably look into buying some digital subscriptions soon as we’ll be in the house more - things like Disney+ and more online education supplements, like Scholastic.”
“Games and educational toys. I want to make a game area in my house and have them on a shelf so the children can get them easily. So far I’ve got some children’s matching & sorting games, Jenga and Lincoln Logs.
“We normally buy organic food at Whole Foods, but I’ve already stocked up on some junk food as special treats - graham crackers to make smores, candy (Halloween candy, of course) and mixes to make brownies and cupcakes. I love the smell of sweets baking in the oven; we’ll probably bake some treats once a week for the next few months.
“If it smells or tastes like pumpkin spice, I need it. I’ve gotten some pumpkin candles, pumpkin flavored yogurts, pumpkin beer. You name it, I’ve got it.”
“I’ll be loading up on bath supplies - wine, bath bombs, bath salts, and more wine. I plan to be in the tub most evenings.”
“I absolutely love fall! I need to invest in a huge pile of firewood soon because I’ll start making fireplaces every night. My cold weather routine is make a fire, put on a good movie or show and make some yummy food & drinks.”
“We are going to make our house so cozy that we’ll never want to leave. We just had our kitchen and living room completely gutted and renovated this summer. We now have plenty more space for our work and homeschool, and a brand new, bright and cheery place to cook and hang out. Currently, I’m decorating — getting things like art, new couch, cozy blankets, fireplace and mantle decorations.”
“Now that it’s getting cooler, I’m starting to do my at-home workouts indoors, instead of on my patio. I’ve carved out a little workout nook in my living room by a window for my yoga mat and weights.”
“We’ve just bought a new house, so I’ll be buying a bunch of new furniture, rugs and window treatments. I feel like we’re having to buy everything all over again and it’s fun as we’ll soon be in hibernation mode this winter.”
“Because it’s pretty miserable right now, I’m trying to keep myself happy by buying some little treats - rewarding myself with good food (steaks, wine, chocolate, desserts,) skincare (masks, lotions,) lots of books & ordering movies online. I’ve ordered some pretty things for the house (art, candles and I’m getting fresh flowers more often.)
“It’s been a real struggle to keep the house clean these past six months. I’m planning to order a small, cordless vacuum online soon as I’m tired of killing my back with the big vacuum on areas, like the stairs.”
“This is so not environmentally-friendly of me, but I’ve recently bought a bunch of paper plates and cups. I’m so so sick of doing dishes (like 2 or 3 loads per day.) I feel like raking the real dishes into the sink and breaking them all! On days when I just can’t deal with everything, I’m opting for paper plates that we can throw away so I don’t have to do more dishes.”
“Our house loves fall drinks - we are going to make a lot of pumpkin spice coffee drinks & alcohol drinks. The kids love hot chocolate. We’ve got to keep things fun and special to keep happy and motivated.”
“I did buy a bunch more vitamins and supplements a few months ago, but I’ll need to do that again before winter so keep keep the flu and coronavirus away. Lots of vitamin C and immunity boosting products.”
“I’m soaking up the sun as much as possible, while I can. I’ve been going out to restaurants (outside seating,) vineyards, farms - anywhere outside where I can sit and read a book and sip on something delicious. Speaking of books, I’ve definitely been going through some books lately. I follow goodreads.com and buy several each month, more than I’ve ever read in my life.”
“This fall is going to be all about cooking for me. During summer, I got a decent amount of takeout and made summer salads and the like that are light, quick and easy. Now for fall, I want to try doing more baking — making harder recipes that take time and more effort. I’m looking to buy a nice mixer, upgrade my coffee maker and buying some new, pretty dishes.”
“We’ve not had to buy as many clothes for the kids, but I have been buying more pajama sets for them recently. I’ve also bought some new workout clothes and some lingerie.”
As we continue to navigate through the COVID-19 pandemic here in the USA, Green Purse PR is committed to helping our research clients stay informed by serving up the most valuable and current consumer insights.
We've got a constant pulse on the changing behaviors of American consumers, particularly, health-conscious women and mothers. We are currently conducting virtual shopper research to better understand how consumers are shopping in categories like: food & beverage, household goods (like cleaning products & personal care,) entertainment, online education and children’s toys.
Submit an information request for answers to your specific questions about your consumers and we can explore conducting custom research for your brand. Learn more and contact us here →→→ www.greenpursepr.com/virtual-shopper-research.
- Lisa Mabe-Konstantopoulos, Founder & CEO, Green Purse PR
Autumn is almost here and Halloween is our next major holiday. I know a certain segment of our population here in the USA is keen to cancel just about everything, but rest assure many consumers will still be celebrating Halloween this year.
We encourage our PR clients to think of seasons and major holidays, like Autumn and Halloween, as a series of “mini events” in an effort to stretch out the season and create more purchase opportunities.
Even in a pandemic, here are just a few of the “mini events” (and buying opportunities) you can still build shopper marketing around.
Front door decor - People are already eager to embrace fall. Bring on the pumpkins, pumpkin spice lattes, and all the fun home decorations that can help us keep our spirits up during this challenging year. Fall decor at front doors is an American tradition, whether someone has a big house or a tiny apartment. We need all the cheer we can get during 2020; I expect people to keep decorating their doorways and I hear some plan to be even more elaborate since we’re all spending so much more time at home these days.
Pumpkin picking - Picking pumpkins outside is still a fun activity most people can feel comfortable participating in.
Halloween home decorations - In addition to the fall door decor, which typically comes fairly early on in the season (September,) we expect more people to take their home decoration for Halloween even more seriously. We’re not just talking jack-o'-lanterns, but also larger-than-life, inflatable ghosts & pumpkins, projections onto houses, and anything else to amuse and entertain.
Costume shopping - Although many will need to wear a face mask on top, it sounds like everyone is still keen to dress up, either buying new costumes or perhaps recycling some from years past.
Halloween grocery haul - In addition to purchasing Halloween candy (probably quite a bit less than usual,) many plan to do a big grocery shop just ahead of the holiday to make a special dinner and sweet treats at home. Since trick or treating may not be possible, many people we’ve spoken with are planning to make the holiday special by staying home and making special treats for their immediate household, or with friends, at a safe distance.
Halloween treat bags - Instead of traditional ‘trick or treating,’ several folks we’ve conducted research with are planning to offer individually wrapped treat bags (at a distance) to others they know personally. Many are even planning small gatherings, Halloween treat meet & greets, outside to share candy and enjoy seeing costumes with neighbors.
Fall door decor found at American’s homes
If your brand produces products, like Halloween candy, that are ideal for fall and Halloween, be sure to show consumers safe and socially-distanced ways to incorporate your products into a 2020 type of Halloween experience.
Here is a Halloween end cap we spotted recently at a Whole Foods Market store. Have you noticed or produced any creative holiday merchandising for Halloween this year?
Speaking of holidays, Green Purse PR is now producing a monthly calendar, a list of holidays (major holidays and marketing holidays) to help guide your PR and social marketing programs. Subscribe to our monthly e-newsletter, #GetInHerCart, here to get access.
- Lisa Mabe-Konstantopoulos, Founder, Green Purse PR
Seasons and holidays fuel the shopping and spending machine here in the USA.
We are offering a winter seasonal campaign, all around the theme of comfort at home to drive sales of your products this upcoming fall season. Work with Green Purse PR to keep your brand top-of-mind and get more of your products into American consumers’ shopping carts this winter.
How will your brand show consumers how to use your products to embrace the ‘comforts of home’ this fall & winter? Work with us to conduct virtual shopper research now to get the insights you need to craft the best marketing messaging and imagery to resonate with them. Learn more about our research below.
Seasons and holidays fuel the shopping and spending machine here in the USA.
We are offering a seasonal campaign, all around the theme of comfort, wellness and “comfort food,” to drive sales of your products this upcoming fall season. Work with Green Purse PR to keep your brand top-of-mind and get more of your products into American consumers’ shopping carts this fall.
How will your brand show consumers how to use your products to embrace comfort at home this fall season? Work with us to conduct virtual shopper research now to get the insights you need to craft the best marketing messaging and imagery to resonate with them this autumn. Learn more about our research below.
I’m a big fan of using holidays (major holidays and even the so called made up marketing holidays) and seasons as a basis for planning your shopper marketing activities, in places like social media and inside stores. Have you thought of considering the Fall + Halloween season as a series of “mini events” in an effort to stretch out the season and create more purchase opportunities?
You may be tempted to think of some holidays as just a one-day events, but in reality most holidays are made up of several mini events that we can leverage in our shopper marketing. How many mini events can you think of for the Fall + Halloween season? Turns out, there’s a lot and some depend upon age and life phase. For example, to connect with parents of young children around Halloween season, here are just a few of the “mini events” (and buying opportunities) you can build shopper marketing around:
Home decorating (for fall and then again for Halloween) – 2 encouraging people to have the best house on the block.
Pumpkin picking.
Booing (and also the adult version, “boozing.”)
Costume hunting.
Trick or treating.
School parties.
Neighborhood parties (suburban.)
At-home parties (pizza is super popular.)
My favorite from this list is booing. If you’re located in the USA and live in a suburban area + have young children, you probably know about this trend. According to a case study presented by Mars at the 2018 Shopper Marketing Conference, 7% of Americans currently participate in booing. For retailers located in suburban areas, this is a ripe opportunity just waiting to be picked.
When my house was “booed” last year
Some Halloween merchandising at Whole Foods Market
Fall door decor found at American’s homes
Here are some ways that retailers can connect with parents in suburban areas around the mini event of booing.
In-store shopper marketing like end caps that invite shoppers to boo their neighbors. For a limited time, curate a special selection of products ideal for booing – boo bags, tags, candy. Because you usually only boo a few houses (we do two) and because you’re likely to boo peoples’ homes that you know well, you can encourage better quality, more expensive candy for these, than candy given out in much larger amounts for trick or treating.
Educational signage that offers guidance on booing, why to do it and what to include in your boo bag.
Host a Halloween prep in-store event one weekend sampling healthier candy and sweets options + educate on fun ways for families to celebrate the season.
Website landing page and accompanying social media and email marketing driving people to a site all about making their boo bag the best on the block.
In fact, Green Purse PR creates an annual list of holidays, specifically for food companies. It’s called our Holidays List for Food Marketing. It’s a social media planning resource available here (stay tuned for the 2020 version coming out soon.)
Halloween merchandising at The Market inside The Twitter Building, San Francisco, California
Target’s Halloween section, Hyde and Eek!
Teal Pumpkin Project for Halloween at Target
Halloween signage at Target
- Lisa Mabe-Konstantopoulos, Founder, Green Purse PR
