Gen Z consumers have shown themselves to be highly experiential in their attitudes to food and drink flavors. Compared with older generations, they are more likely to say that new and different flavors influence their purchases, while they also over-indexed the average for their interest in flavors that deliver sensory excitement or enhance their mood.
ndulgent experiences appear to be particularly important, with Gen Zs demonstrating a very sweet tooth. More than 1 in 4 claims to have chosen more indulgent flavors in desserts, sweet bakery and confectionery categories over the past 12 months. As with most age groups, brown flavors are a core focus for their indulgence, but innovators are looking beyond plain chocolate or caramel tastes to add greater value. For example, Starbucks’ Frappuccino range of chilled coffee drinks, popular with a youthful audience, has witnessed the addition of a new Passport Series this year, inspired by flavors from around the world. Launched in the US, these include the likes of Chocolate Churro or Caramel Flan varieties, giving novel twists to familiar brown flavors.
The international nature of these flavors also reflects another strong focus when targeting Gen Zs. As well as choosing more indulgent tastes, they also have a heightened preference for adopting more exotic or world flavors. These international choices can also differ from the norm; for example, European cuisines are seen as the most important international inspiration in daily meals across all generations, but among Gen Zs Asian cuisine leads the way. Within this, they also over-index for interest in Japanese foods. Many Japanese-inspired foodservice brands, which are popular with younger consumers, have spilled over into the retail arena. The Itsu chains offers a wide range of retail products, with recent additions in the UK including pot meals and vegetarian/vegan choices, both of which concepts will also resonate with a younger age group, e.g. Hotsu’Potsu Lucky Katsu veg gyoza dumplings with noodles and hand-crafted katsu broth.
Fusion and hybrid products are also used to add novelty value with youth appeal. Interest in foreign cuisine can be intensified when two disparate flavors are combined in the same product, such as Old El Paso’s Korean BBQ taco kits, launched in Canada at the end of 2021. Meanwhile, hybrid products combining retail and foodservice concepts also deliver value for Gen Zs, e.g. Lay’s Iconic Restaurant Flavors potato chips, launched in Europe, with varieties such as Pizza Hut Margherita, KFC Original Recipe Chicken or Subway Teriyaki (the last of these also benefiting from those Japanese influences).