Category
Lifestyle
Assisted Choices
Trend cluster
Category
Ready-Made
Grocery
Pre-assembled meals provide a healthy and fresh option for busy shoppers.
3.8
Trend score
Trend
What is the Ready-Made Grocery trend?
Ready-Made Grocery: Staying competitive with the modern instant gratification culture, grocery stores are offering an increasingly gourmet range of ready-to-eat meals that are easy to take on the go and require minimal, if any, preparation. As health-conscious consumers begin looking for fresh foods outside of the frozen section, supermarkets are offering already assembled plates to help take the guesswork out of meal-prep, providing a fast solution that’s perfect for the Millennial professional on their lunch break or the busy parent who has limited time to make a healthy meal for themselves.
Trend themes
Themes within the Ready-Made Grocery trend
Three behaviours holding the trend together01
Ready-to-Eat Meals
As modern consumers embrace instant gratification, grocery stores are catering to the demand for quick and easy meal options.
02
Heat-and-Eat Convenience
Brands offering microwaveable meals or kits with minimal preparation requirements are disrupting the food industry's traditional meal prep and consumption methods.
03
Gourmet Groceries
Small grocers, as well as large supermarket chains, are starting to offer restaurant-quality ready-to-eat meals to meet the public's changing dining habits.
Industry implications
What the Ready-Made Grocery trend means for industry
Where the trend changes the playbookFor
Food Retail
Grocery stores are embracing the demand for more instant, ready-to-eat meal options.
For
Meal Kit Delivery
Meal kit delivery services can incorporate more heat-and-eat meals and provide consumers with greater convenience and less meal prep time.
For
Convenience Stores
Convenience stores can expand beyond snack foods to offer more meal kit or microwavable meal options, catering to the busy lifestyles of their clientele.
Workshop question
How can you expedite the decision-making process for busy consumers?
Trend signals
Trend signals for Ready-Made Grocery
Trend score 3.8 out of 10, from popularity 51%, activity 56%, freshness 8%.
Popularity51%
Activity56%
Freshness8%
Audience
50%Men
50%Women
- Gen Alpha (not a primary audience)
- Gen Z
- Millennial
- Gen X
- Boomer (not a primary audience)
Market
North America
Evidence
Examples of the Ready-Made Grocery trend
6 featured examples from Feb 8, 2016 to May 5, 2018CategoryLifestyle
Heat-and-Eat Supermarket Meals
The 'Eat Fit Go' Meals Can Be Taken Home and Consumed Immediately
This industry can leverage heat-and-eat meal trends to offer consumers more affordable and nutritious meal options as well as work with chefs to expand menu options.
CategoryLifestyle
Pre-Made Lunch Kits
Ready Pac Foods' Fresh Prep'd Brand Offers Easy-to-Make Wraps and Soups
Opportunity for packaging companies to develop convenient and eco-friendly packaging solutions for pre-made lunch kits.
CategoryLifestyle
Pre-Peeled Egg Snack Kits
Eggland's Best Snack Sets Pair Hard-Boiled Eggs wit Nuts, Cheese & Meat
The food packaging industry can explore innovative packaging solutions for snack kits that keep the pre-peeled hard-boiled eggs and other perishable items fresh and convenient.
CategoryLifestyle
Portable Quinoa Bowls
Cucina & Amore's Ready-to-Eat Meals Require No Preparation or Cooking
Disruptive innovation opportunity: Develop eco-friendly packaging solutions that preserve the freshness and quality of separate meal components, catering to the rising demand for…
CategoryLifestyle
Gourmet Grocery Store Meals
Pasta & Provisions Offers Gourmet Groceries and Ready-to-Eat Meals
Existing supermarkets can consider adding hot food sections and take-out options to attract more customers.
CategoryLifestyle
Ready-Made Pasta Meals
These Deep-Frozen Pasta Meals are Pre-Dressed with Meat and Sauce
The frozen food industry can seize the opportunity to create innovative and convenient ready-to-eat meal options for busy consumers.
