A Look Into Grocery Gaming Culture
Grocers and CPGs looking to mine new opportunities for sales can take another look at capturing gamers’ food dollars. That’s one takeaway from Datassential’s "Midyear Trends Report."
During a recent webinar recapping that report’s findings, Datassential trendologist Jaclyn Marks cited data showing that 61% of consumers currently play video games on their phones or TVs and 45% of consumers who play video games have been influenced to make a food or beverage purchase because of video game-related content or ads. Those percentages are even higher among younger Gen Z and Millennial consumers.
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“This is an industry that you may want to take into consideration as you are doing product planning,” advised Marks, a senior publications manager with Datassential. She noted that the video game sector is a bigger moneymaker than the global food and sports industries combined.
In the webinar, she shared examples of recent partnerships between brands and game makers. Earlier this summer, for instance, The Kraft Heinz Co. rolled out KRAFT Mac & Cheese Super Mario Power-Up Shapes in both the classic blue box and Easy Mac cups. “The concept is an example of how collaborations with iconic video game brands can lean into simplicity. This is all about pasta shapes and adds a real fun element that resonates with consumers and gaming fans,” Marks said.
When introducing the product last month, Kraft Heinz shared that the developers were inspired by Super Mario icons like Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach and others in the games and that the offering is designed to be family friendly. “In today’s fast-paced world, it has become increasingly difficult for families to find time to enjoy meals together,” said Ashleigh Gibson, senior director of marketing for KRAFT Mac & Cheese at Kraft Heinz. “We’ve always helped families reground, reset, and reconnect during mealtime. It’s important to us that we continue providing that reassuring comfort, which is why we’re excited to partner with Nintendo on the newest addition to our shapes portfolio.”
Like brands, some grocers are leaning into the gaming opportunity. Later this month, The Kroger Co. is bringing back its Points Rewards Plus video gaming-themed customer engagement program. The retailer digitally promotes favorite products for gamers, including candy, snacks and beverages, and incentivizes gamers to redeem rewards points for digital video games, Xbox gift cards, PlayStation gift cards, Boost memberships, Apple gift cards, Google Play gift cards and more.
Walmart is active in this space, too. The retailer offers immersive experiences in the Roblox metaverse platform and, in early 2024, partnered with real-time 3D platform provider Unity to give developers the ability to integrate Walmart’s commerce APIs directly into their games and apps.
