News - Market trends
Aussie teens
are into biscuits
T
he consumption of biscuit/crackers in Australia remains relatively stable at 32.4% (a fraction
less than 2011, when it was
33.1%), shows a study conducted by Roy
Morgan Research.
In 2015, 42.4% of Aussies reported eating at least one sweet biscuit in an
average seven days, down from 46.3% in
2011. The proportion of Australians 14+
who eat sweet biscuits in any given seven-day period is on the decline, but
remains substantially higher than the
country’s savory biscuit-eaters.
On the other hand, teenagers aged 14-17
and older Australians aged 65+ are the
nation’s most avid biscuit-eaters. The 65+
demographic is more likely to eat sweet
biscuits than any other age group, with
more than half (51.6%) snacking on
them in an average seven days, ahead of
under-18s (46.5%). Under-18s turn the
tables on their elders for savory biscuiteating, but only just - 36.3% vs. 36.2%.
Not only is sweet more popular than savory among Australian biscuit-eaters, but
people who snack on sweet biscuits are
more likely to eatonly sweet biscuits than
savory biscuit-eaters are to stick exclusively to savory. Almost 55% of Aussies who
eat sweet biscuits in an average seven
days only eat sweet biscuits, compared
with the 40.5% of savory biscuit/ cracker
eaters who limit themselves to savory.
Aussies who eat either kind of biscuit in
any given seven days tend to be aboveaverage for eating the other kind as well:
59.5% of people who eat savory biscuits
also eat sweet, while 45.4% of sweet biscuit-eaters also consume savory.
Andrew Price, General Manager - Consumer Products, Roy Morgan Research,
Sweet vs. savory biscuits eaten in last seven days: by age
n Savoury biscuits
n Sweet biscuits
Base: Australians 14+
60%
51.6%
% who ate each kind of biscuit in last 7 days
50%
46.5%
42.7%
40%
36.9%
36.3%
32.7%
30%
27.8%
42.4%
40.0%
38.6%
34.6%
36.2%
32.4%
26.8%
20%
10%
0%
14-17 years
18-24 years
25-34 years
35-49 years
50-64 years
Roy Morgan Single Source (Australia), October 2014 - September 2015 (n=15,668).
*NB: sweet biscuits include chocolate coated biscuits, cream/jam filled and plain (sweet).
BISCUIT WORLD • Spring 2016
65+ years
Total population
says: “As the popularity of sweet biscuits
declines, brands need to consider which
sectors of the population are their best
bet for continued (and future) consumption, and target them accordingly. As
outlined above, teenagers and the 65+
demographic are more likely than other
age groups to eat savory and sweet biscuits, which presents an interesting challenge for marketers!”.
“The plot thickens when we look at the
bigger snack picture, and find that young
Aussies aged 14-17 are more likely than
any other age group to eat just about
every snack category measured by Roy
Morgan Research, while the older bracket
tends to be below average for most
snacks. So not only do these two groups
sit at opposite ends of the age spectrum,
they also have markedly different snacking habits - yet are somehow united by
their penchant for biscuits. Of course, despite the decline in consumption, sweet
biscuits remain one of the country’s most
popular snacks. However, several other
snack categories - from natural yoghurt to
nuts, icy poles to corn chips - are gaining
in popularity, so it is crucial for biscuit
brands to do what they can to enhance
their competitiveness now”, Price added.
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