Gen Z Shops on Its Own Clock

Gen Z is not shopping for prepared foods any more often than other generations, they are shopping on a different clock, according to Datassential’s Supermarket Prepared report.

Nearly 9-in-10 grocery shoppers said their last grocery trip had been that same day or within the previous week. Gen Z shoppers were more likely to have gone longer between visits: 12% had last shopped within the last two weeks, compared with 9% overall. Six percent had gone as long as two to three weeks, compared to 3% overall. The generation is also less loyal to the traditional supermarket format, with only 24% of their last trip landing there, compared with 54% overall.

Once inside the prepared-foods aisle, Gen Z is the generation most willing to experiment. Sixty-eight percent get a mix of familiar and new items, and 9% try something new every single time, both above the overall average. Their interest runs high across nearly every offering tested, from rotisserie chicken to cold salads to fresh-squeezed juices.

That curiosity is paired with interest. Gen Z shoppers are twice as likely as the average grocery customer to plan on buying more prepared foods over the next year. Sixty-nine percent say they often buy prepared items on a regular grocery trip, compared with 49% overall. Fifty-seven percent will make a special trip just for prepared items, versus 46% overall, and 66% say they would love it if their grocery store delivered prepared items like a restaurant, compared with 40% overall.

That pattern holds outside the grocery aisle, too, with 63% of Gen Z getting takeout or delivery at least weekly, more than double the 29% of Boomers who do, according to Datassential’s Demographic Dive report.

Gen Z’s satisfaction already outpaces every other generation, with 23% saying they are extremely satisfied with the variety of prepared foods at their favorite store — nearly double the 12% overall average, per the Supermarket Prepared report.