SEPTEMBER 2016 BACK-TO-KITCHEN TRENDS

What American Families are Cooking and Eating

INSIGHT #1 Shopping Cart SundaysWhen Allrecipes first began providing digital food resources two decades ago, “Best Food Wednesday” held the crown as the week’s busiest shopping day, probably due to Wednesdays being when most retailers refreshed product displays and published weekly savings flyers. Times have changed—a result of more parents working outside of the home, and the increased use of Sundays for preparing meals for the week ahead—to where weekends are now the week’s busiest grocery shopping period. Millennials are the largest cohort of weekend shoppers with 58% saying they conduct their “big shopping trip” on weekends, compared with just 41% of non-millennials.

WITH SHORTER DAYS, COOLER TEMPERATURES, AND BUSIER SCHEDULES FIRMLY ON THE CALENDAR, HOME cooks are once again making their annual pilgrimage back to their kitchens. September is the official kick-off for Allrecipes’ busiest time of the year, when our traffic levels surge 25% to 50% compared to our slower months. The need for make-ahead meals, the allure of fall baking and numerous holiday occasions drive the increased activity. In this issue of the Allrecipes Measuring Cup Trend Report, we look at some of the factors and behaviors that inform American home cooks’ grocery shopping and cooking behaviors in the months ahead.

SEPTJUN AUGMAY OCTJUL NOV DEC JAN FEB

Allrecipes.com Measuring Cup September 2016 / Back-to-Kitchen Trends 1

58%41%

36%46%

25%23%

S

S

S

M

M

M

T

T

T

W

W

W

T

T

T

F

F

F

S

S

S

� Millennials� Non-millennials

On which day of the week do you typically do your

“big” shopping trip?

2016

WED

1996

SUNSAT

INSIGHT #2 Savvy Shoppers Watch Their Wallets

S M T W T F

INSIGHT #3 Weeknight Dinners Rock!

Reports about disappearing weeknight dinners are premature. In fact, Allrecipes’ research shows interest in cooking is at an all-time high—with millennial home cooks being the most likely age group to cite “a passion for food” as their primary motivation for cooking. Mobile devices and high speed connections are allowing home cooks to serve as tastemakers to their peers, providing widely appreciated meal-time ideas and inspiration through likes, ratings, reviews, and posts. In Allrecipes’ latest survey, we find that two-thirds of online home cooks are cooking dinner most nights of the week. most nights

How o�en do you cook in a week?

a few nights at least once

� Millennials� Non-millennials65% 70%

30% 24% 5% 7%

Where to find this week’s best deal on meat, milk, and eggs? Two-thirds of shoppers today describe their grocery shopping style as “budget-minded.” The Great Recession may be behind us, but most shoppers are still looking for the best opportunities to stretch their food dollars. Eighty percent of home cooks report using coupons and loyalty card offers as their primary tactic for getting the best prices, while 70% compare prices and shop for better deals. Shoppers also describe their shopping styles as “family-focused,” and, as another dimension of their price awareness, “well-planned.”

% OFF

rely on coupons and loyalty cards

80%

POINTS!

compare prices and look for deals

70%

$2 $1

Well planned 46%49%

Health-focused 42%43%

Smart 42%30%

Budget-minded 61%68%

Family-focused 66%52%

Spontaneous 23%18%

Global/ethnic 14%14%

How would you describe your grocery shopping style?� Millennials� Non-millennials

% OFF% OFF

APplEsORanGes

Allrecipes.com Measuring Cup September 2016 / Back-to-Kitchen Trends 2

INSIGHT #5 Cooking Inspiration Gets SocialThe ultimate, catch-all source for meal-time inspiration magic continues (for most of us) to be as elusive as finding a unicorn or winning the lottery. Most home cooks still struggle to some degree with keeping weeknight meals fresh, new, and interesting. In our “2016 Back-to-Kitchen” survey, we asked cooks where they most commonly look for cooking inspiration. For cooks aged 35 years and older, top sources are the contents of their refrigerator, followed by family and friends. For millennial cooks, the top sources are recipe websites, along with looking at the contents of their refrigerators. Another big defining factor for millennials is scanning their social feeds for recipe inspiration.

INSIGHT #4 Family Comes First in the KitchenWhen asked how best to describe their cooking style, the top choices among all age groups were “Family Focused” and “Practical.” These choices most likely reflect the need to be a realist when putting satisfying, predictable, and pleasing dinners on the table with limited time and resources. Millennials vary from their predecessors by being more likely to describe their cooking style as “Fun,” “Extravagant,” “Creative,” and “Global.” These descriptions are certainly a result of having a wealth of ever-expanding food and cooking information available 24/7 across their phones, tablets, magazines, PCs, and TVs.

Extravagant

Busy

Beginner

Global/ethnic

Spontaneous

Creative

Fun

Resourceful

Smart

Health-focused

Practical

Family-focused 66% 25%20%21%

26%20%

17%18%

8%14%

12%13%

5%

54%52%

39%41%

36%26%

35%29%

34%23%

65%

Well-planned 26%28%

How would you describe your cooking style? � Millennials � Non-millennials

Recipewebsites

FacebookFriends& family

Refrigerator PinterestCookbooks& magazines

TV Instagram Emailnewsletters

65%

47%

+38%

+70%+78%

+285%

54%62%

53% 51%46%

27%

39% 40%34%

19%

31%25% 27%

7%13% 17%

� Millennials � Non-millennialsWhere do you find ideas and inspiration for cooking weeknight meals?

Allrecipes.com Measuring Cup September 2016 / Back-to-Kitchen Trends 3

+ INSIGHT #6 Show Me the Money: What Motivates Cooking ChoicesCurious about what motivates consumers to choose the products and dishes they prepare? Allrecipes asked survey participants to identify the factors most influencing their food purchases. Cost savings, followed by peer recommendations and family requests top the list for three-fourths of home cooks, which in turn prompts their recipe selections and guides grocery purchases.

INSIGHT #7 Reliance on RecipesRecipes continue to be a key contributor to dinner preparation. This is especially true for millennial home cooks who tend to have a greater thirst for meal-time variety, creativity, and adventure compared to older cooks. Among the millennial home cooks surveyed by Allrecipes, 27% say they use recipes on most nights, and another 29% use recipes multiple times a week.

Once or twice per week

29%24%

Weekly+

56%

35%

Most nights

27%

11%A few times per month

24%29%

Once per month

11% 9%Less than once

a month

9%

27%

� Millennials� Non-millennials

How o�en do you cook dinner using a recipe?

� Millennials � Non-millennials

Coupons

93% 87% 87% 84% 86%75% 83%

74%83% 76% 75% 74%

60% 54%

Loyalty cardsavings

Friends & family

Family/roommate request

Recipes Store displays TV commercials

Which of the following motivates you in your shopping and cooking activities?

Allrecipes.com Measuring Cup September 2016 / Back-to-Kitchen Trends 4

INSIGHT #8 Have Recipe, Will Cook—Tonight!The surge of weekday searches at 4:00 PM on Allrecipes.com is confirmed by our historical data. Interested in whether these searches are for that night’s dinner or another later in the week, we asked Allrecipes’ home cooks how soon they prepared a dish after selecting a recipe. The answer: Nearly one-third of home cooks prepare the dish within a few hours of viewing the recipe on the site. Close to three-fourths (72%) will cook the dish within a day or two, and 85% will prepare the recipe that same week.

� Millennials� Non-millennials

73%32% 93%Same day

Within a few days

That same week

30% 73% 85%Same day

Within a few days

That same week

How soon do you typically prepare a selected Allrecipes recipe?

Almond-Crusted Tilapia

x 312 reviews � 13,010 saves

Kung Pao Chicken

x 786 reviews � 20,924 saves

Pork Chops with Apple Cider Glaze

x 106 reviews � 14,661 saves

Caramel Shortbread Squares

x 601 reviews � 23,363 saves

Sherry-Braised Beef Short Ribs

x 142 reviews � 19,446 saves

Fast-moving fall recipes from Allrecipes.com and Allrecipes magazine (September/October 2016 issue)

12

6

9 3

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Please Contact

Esmee WilliamsAllrecipesVice President, Consumer & Brand Strategy

206–436–7416 esmee@allrecipes.com allrecipes.com/cook/esmee @EsmeeWilliams

MethodologyData cited in this Measuring Cup Report is derived from an external independent panel fielded in August 2016, which consisted of 1,040 U.S.-based participants. All respondents view food content online, cook at home multiple nights per week, and are the primary grocery shopper for their household.

About AllrecipesAllrecipes, the world’s largest food-focused social network, receives more than one billion visits annually from home cooks who inspire and inform cooking through shared recipes, photos, reviews, collections, profiles, and videos. Since its launch in 1997, the Seattle-based social site has served as a dynamic, indispensable resource for cooks of all skill levels seeking trusted recipes, entertaining ideas, everyday and holiday meal solutions, and cooking instruction. Allrecipes is a global, multi-platform brand with 19 sites, three mobile apps, and 15 eBooks serving 24 countries in 13 languages. Allrecipes magazine, recognized by MIN as the 2013 Magazine Launch of the year, boasts a readership of 7.6 million cooks.

About Meredith CorporationMeredith Corporation (NYSE:MDP; www.meredith.com) is the leading media and marketing company serving American women. Meredith features multiple well-known national brands—including Allrecipes, Better Homes and Gardens, Martha Stewart Living, Parents, Family Circle, My Weddings, Shape, American Baby and Every Day with Rachael Ray—along with local television brands in fast-growing markets. Meredith is the industry leader in creating content in key consumer interest areas such as home, family, food, health and wellness and self-development. Meredith uses multiple distribution platforms—including print, television, digital, mobile, tablets, and video—to give consumers content they desire and to deliver the messages of its advertising and marketing partners.

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