Independent market analyst Datamonitor’s new report, People On-the-Move, found that European consumers are becoming happier to consume while travelling. With European consumers set to spend more time travelling, social barriers to eating, drinking and grooming while on-the-move are starting to break down. Marketing has to highlight the time-saving benefits of on-the-move consumption and emphasise that there is nothing unreasonable or selfish about grabbing a quick bite on your way to work, or fixing your make-up before an evening out.
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In 2001, Europeans made an average of four journeys every day, and spent 1 hour everyday travelling. This time-pressure led to an expenditure of €68 billion (US$59.5bn) on food, drink and personal care products used while on-the-move.
Germany leads Europe in terms of number of journeys – 139 billion every year. The UK lies second with 100 billion. Sweden lies last with only 12 billion journeys per year. However, when journeys per person per day are considered, Germany’s lead narrows. The average German makes 4.67 journeys every day, the average Briton makes 4.62. The Spanish make the fewest journeys per day – just 1.63. However, thanks to a more efficient transport system, the Germans do not spend the most time per day travelling. That honour belongs to the Italians, who spend just under 90 minutes every day getting from place to place. The average German travels for 1 hour exactly every day, just ahead of the UK, whose citizens spend 1 hour and five minutes travelling daily.
“On-the-move consumption is driven by a number of factors. Poor infrastructure is a major cause – if commuters can expect delays and cancellations on their journey, they will try and minimize its effect on their day by using the time to eat their breakfast, grab a coffee, or apply last-minute make-up. The mobile phone has been a big influence as well; the image of the boorish businessman bellowing inanities into his mobile may be a cliché but experiences such as this taught consumers that they could use a public space such as a train carriage for their own personal activities. Action by manufacturers and retailers has had an effect on on-the-move consumption. The availability of products such Nutrigrain introduced consumers to the idea that they could save time in the morning by eating while on-the-move,” comments Andrew Russell, Datamonitor market analyst.
UK leads on-the-move eating
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By GlobalDataThe vast majority of on-the-move spending is on food – €51bn. This is mainly spent on hand-held snacks – sandwiches, pasties, pizza slices and pies. Take-away comes a close second. The UK eats the most on-the-move despite not being the busiest country. This reflects a greater willingness to adapt, and less concern for maintaining traditional social attitudes. In Germany, attitudes about politeness and concern for fellow passengers are enforced by legislation. Travellers in the UK are also more likely to eat confectionery and snacks – 5% of all UK travellers will have chocolate, crisps or sweets on the journey, compared to only 2.5% in the rest of Europe. The Dutch are the leading consumers of hot snacks, followed closely by the French. But in terms of spend per person, the UK are far and away the European leaders with €221 spent per person per year. The Dutch come second with only €167. The French spend €155 and the Germans only €121.
On-the-move drinking is mainly focused on tea and coffee, especially in winter. The UK and the Netherlands are the most prolific consumers of drinks on-the-move – both spending €67 per head annually. The UK leads Europe in on-the-move drinking – 23% of all on-the-move drinks are bought in Britain. This places the UK just ahead of Germany, at 21% and well ahead of Spain and Sweden, at 2% each. Although hot drinks tend to dominate the market there are some exceptions. In Spain, bottled water takes up the lion’s share of on-the-move drinking.
Personal care use on-the-move is less common than eating or drinking. Understandably, only a small minority of consumers elect to shave while on-the-move, and only then through desperate necessity. Lip balm is the most common on-the-move personal care product, followed by scent, lip stick, oral hygiene and make-up. Deodorant makes up 7% of all on-the-move personal care uses – overwhelmingly in cars. The most common time to use personal care products on-the-move is on the way to an evening out after work, when there is little time and little opportunity to straighten one’s hair or fix one’s make up on the way to the destination. Travel to work was the second most common occasion for personal care use, as consumers late out the door try to make themselves look presentable before facing their colleagues or their boss. In countries like France and Italy where personal appearance is important, grooming on the move is frowned upon as an admission that one did not look one’s best on leaving the house.
Manufacturers should address consumers’ concerns with on-the-move consumption
One of the biggest barriers to on-the-move consumption, particularly outside the UK, is consumers’ perception that eating, drinking and grooming in public is rude. Marketing has to highlight the time-saving benefits of on-the-move consumption and emphasise that there is nothing unreasonable or selfish about grabbing a quick bite on your way to work, or fixing your make-up before an evening out.
Better product design will go a long way to removing concerns about annoying fellow passengers – if there is too much packaging, if the food produces a lot of crumbs or grease, and particularly if it smells, people feel uneasy about consuming it in close quarters. For drinks, and hot drinks in particular, the goal should be to design cups that minimize the risk of spillage – consumers’ single biggest concern over purchasing hot drinks.
Distribution to on-the-move consumers will hinge on identifying those points in the transport network where consumers are brought together in large numbers, such as King’s Cross station in London, and saturating these points with vending machines, foodservice or retail units and mobile kiosks to reach the maximum number of travellers at one time.
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