MILLENNIALS CONSUMER INSIGHTS & SHOPPING BEHAVIOR
Discover the Millennial consumer.
Millennials (also known as Gen Y) control over a fourth of consumer spending for CPG and general merchandise in the US. Millennials, considered original digital natives, defined several worlds for brands and retailers such as social media and omnichannel shopping. As the generation ages, they are now entering new life stages and starting up families. See what consumer behaviors and shopping habits are happening with Millennials.
What are the buying behaviors of Millennials?
Millennials (born between 1982 and 1995) now account for 1 in 4 US households. Millennial households spends nearly $15,000 annually in stores for CPG & general merchandise. They make over 400 shopping trips in a year and spend $36 on each of those trips, on average.
The Millennial shopper showcases preferences for value and online shopping as they start to build up their family. Walmart is the top retailer for Millennials when purchasing CPG & general merchandise, and Millennials place more spend on Amazon, Costco and Target compared to the total US. Their shopping also signals their life stage shift into parenthood based on the brands they purchase. Children and baby brands such as Zarbee’s, Zak Designs and The Honest Company overindex with Millennials.
25.6%
of Total US Households
$14,916
Spend per Household
415
Trips per Household
$36
Spend per Trip
Source: Numerator | Sectors include: Baby, Grocery, Health & Beauty, Household, Pet, Electronics, Home & Garden, Office, Sports, Tools & Home Improvement & Toys. Only showing brands with Millennial penetration >5%.
Who is the Millennial shopper?
Millennials were one of the first generations in the US to signal a prominent shift to becoming a more multicultural household. Only half of Millennials identify as White with 21% being Hispanic / Latino.
They’re also entering a time in their lives where they have children and more disposable income. One in two Millennials (49%) now have children under 18 living in their homes and 47% are middle class– making an annual household income between $40k-$125k.
While the largest group of Millennials live in urban areas (42%), a third are located in suburban zones likely to provide more space for their growing families.
What are the major trends happening with Millennials?
Raising Gen Alpha.
As Millennials build up their families, brands cannot forget that this consumer group is raising the next generation– Generation Alpha. The shopping behaviors Millennials have will influence what their children will do in the future and brands will need to meet the consumer where they are.
For example, take online shopping. Over a fourth (27%) of Millennial spending goes to online when they start their families. However, as their children grow older, Millennials become less dependent on purchasing products online.
Brands that target younger households will need to determine how to adjust their distribution and retail strategy to address this omnichannel dynamic.
More memberships, more problems.
Subscriptions have become the base model for many companies. From video streaming to retail loyalty programs, Millennial consumers are engaging with membership programs the most out of any generation, with half of households (49%) having a membership at a club retailer such as Costco or Sam’s Club. The opportunity to expand subscription offerings exist as Millennials are nearly 20% more likely to be open to signing up for more memberships compared to the total US.
However, the current programs today do not fully address the needs of Millennials as they were less likely to be happy with the memberships they pay for. In fact, through Numerator’s verified purchasing data, Millennials were 30% more likely compared to total US to be lapsed Walmart+ users. Those looking to offer subscription programs will need to understand the driving forces for long-term customer retention.
Gamer nation.
Millennials define the gaming community. Millennials are nearly twice as likely compared to the total US to be using the latest generation of consoles for gaming and nearly 1 in 4 Millennials (22%) consider themselves casual gamers.
In 2023, over 1 million Millennials purchased a Nintendo Switch and another 1 million purchased a Playstation 5– the highest of any generation and four times more than adult Gen Z households.
Millennials overindex on playing games that drive communities such as multiplayer online battle arenas (e.g. Fortnite) and massively multiplayer online games (e.g. Black Desert or Destiny 2). Additionally, role playing games also indexed high with Millennials.
Brand partnerships and influencer marketing within gaming could lead to lucrative gains.
TOP DELIVERY SERVICES FOR MILLENNIALS
#1
DOORDASH
13.1% of Millennials
7.7% of US
#2
UBER EATS
11.3% of Millennials
6.4% of US
#3
GRUBHUB
4.9% of Millennials
2.7% of US
Delivery services galore.
With the rise of mobile technologies and families among Millennials, food delivery service providers have enabled consumers to get what they want whenever they want it. And Millennials are wanting it all. They are over 70% more likely than total US to be using one of the top three delivery services– DoorDash, Uber Eats and Grubhub.
With these delivery providers now expanding beyond food and offering groceries, both consumer goods manufacturers and retailers will need to assess the opportunities and promotions associated with it.
Source: Numerator | Latest 12 Months Ending 12/31/2023
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