Gummy bears with expectorants, chocolate bars with added proteins and high-fiber breakfast biscuits — these functional foods are all the rage right now. Functional foods are enriched with additional ingredients, such as vitamins, proteins or minerals. These products promise to support a targeted aspect of health. Today, advertising messages no longer address just millennials but also the health-conscious seniors known as super boomers (the wealthy, healthy baby boomer generation). Manufacturers should therefore adapt their product range to the needs of all age groups.
The bars of the future are functional, offering consumers of all ages a number of health benefits. (Bosch Packaging Technology)Reaching The Health-Conscious Super Boomers With Functional Foods
Amounting today to only eight percent, by 2030 almost every sixth person will be over 60 years old. The slogan “60 is the new 40” says a great deal about the lifestyle of this generation. Today’s super boomers are very active and health-conscious. They have tremendous purchasing power, expected to reach around ten billion dollars globally in 2020. On average, super boomers spend 20 percent of their income on food and drink. Within this, 32 percent of seniors seek out products that support their lifestyle and around 70 percent will stay with their choice in the long term. For the first time the demographic change is now reflected in the product ranges offered by industry and the services sector.
To address this customer group, manufacturers should rethink and secure themselves a long-lasting market share. 88 percent of the super boomers equate the added value of a product, for example the aforementioned additives, with high quality and they are prepared to pay a premium for this.
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Success factors of a product for the 60-plus generation include catering to their needs and offering products with healthy ingredients. The addition of minerals and vitamins, for example, to support bone and muscle development, to aid digestion or to combat high blood pressure definitely boosts sales. This applies primarily to developed markets, in which the group of financially stable, young-at heart customers will continue to grow in the coming years.
For decades, family and work took precedence, but in the third phase of life, health moves firmly into the foreground. One third of consumers worldwide read label information very carefully. For this reason, a legible font size should be considered for important nutrition facts. This does not necessarily mean that packaging should be unappealing or old-fashioned. Packaging must be easy to open and to divide into portions, as well as being lightweight and robust. In addition, it must keep contents fresh, as seniors go shopping less frequently than millennials, for example.
The new intelligent adaptive Sigpack FIT product infeed with linear motor technology allows for a faster and more contact-less product feeding than before. (Bosch Packaging Technology)Exploit Market Potential
In summary, a dedicated product range with an attractive appearance and practical handling of the packaging play an important role for older consumers. Implementing this range of tasks requires a strong partner in the packaging process. Besides technical systems expertise, Bosch Packaging Technology also offers specialist consultancy in various fields:
- Powder packaging: Portion packs like sachets and stick packs are perfect for portion control, consumption and transportation of powdered products. Exact portioning, precisely sealed sachets with opening aids and the production of different products on one machine are Bosch specialties.
- Flow wrapping: Both bar products and biscuits are often packed in flow packs. They are easy to handle, keep the product fresh and offer good advertising space. In addition, multipacks ensure that even larger packs can be easily divided into portions. Different opening aids ensure a clean, simple and defined opening when tearing.
- Secondary packaging: As seniors do not shop every day, it is likely that they stock up on their favorite foods. These products are consumed over a longer period than they might be in families so it is important that they remain fresh. Different carton styles with individually packed products lend themselves particularly to this task.
- Consultancy: Thanks to many years of experience in the field of sealing technology, manufacturers can find expert advice at Bosch. Comprehensive tests in the Bosch testing laboratory in Beringen, Switzerland, ensure that manufacturers select the most suitable technology and film to present their product perfectly on the shelf and to package it in a cost-effective way.
For long-lasting market success, manufacturers should set themselves up to be flexible in terms of pack style and design. For those who want to win this important consumer group, solutions that provide maximum flexibility and quick conversion times for both first and secondary packaging should be considered.
