IMADA KITCHEN x CCC MK HOLDINGS Joint Survey "Survey on Food Awareness of Generation Z"

2024.08.19 Press Releases
SHIBUYA109 Entertainment Co., Ltd. / CCC MK HOLDINGS Co., Ltd.

- Comprehensive comparison of the 2024 and 2021 surveys - Tracking changes in spending, attitudes, behaviors, and trends -

IMADA KITCHEN, operated by SHIBUYA109 Entertainment Co., Ltd. (headquarters: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Ayumi Ishikawa), and CCC MK HOLDINGS Co., Ltd. (headquarters: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Yoshinori Takahashi), which operates a marketing solutions business based on V POINT lifestyle data, conducted a survey on food awareness among Generation Z through qualitative and online surveys targeting 18-24 year olds, and compared the results with a similar survey conducted in 2021.

Survey topics on food awareness among Generation Z

1. Monthly food expenses for Gen Z will increase by approximately 20% compared to 2021. Approximately 30% of expenses are spent on food.
2. Be strict about prices, but still spend money on things you value.
3. While the tendency to prepare ready-made meals is increasing, activities such as fan activities and eating out with friends are becoming more outward-looking. There are also changes in where you go out.
4. Four food trends have changed significantly in three years. Where is the trend currently?

1. Monthly food expenses for Gen Z will increase by approximately 20% compared to 2021. Approximately 30% of expenses are spent on food.

When we investigated the breakdown of Gen Z's monthly discretionary spending, the results showed that, just like in the previous survey, they continue to have a high level of interest in food. Looking at monthly expenditures, the average amount of disposable income per month was 45,384 yen, which is 8,338 yen higher than the 37,046 yen reported in the 2021 survey. Of this, food expenses amounted to 13,243 yen, meaning that approximately 30% of the discretionary money spent each month was spent on food. Compared to the 2021 survey, this represents an increase of approximately 20%.

Comparing the breakdown of food expenses with the 2021 survey, everyday meals increased by 1,685 yen to 7,761 yen, followed by entertainment meals (※) which increased by 761 yen to 5,482 yen. In addition, the item that has increased more than food is spending on hobbies and entertainment, which increased by 4,174 yen (about 30%) compared to 2021 to 13,317 yen. It can be inferred that as opportunities for hobbies and leisure activities, which had been put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic, have increased significantly, people are eating out more, and spending on food is on the rise.

*Entertainment food refers to food for enjoyment, such as at cafes or sweets, rather than food for everyday life.

2. While being strict about prices, you also spend money on things that you value.

The most notable change in food-related values was in price consciousness. While the percentage of people who "pay attention to price when eating out" has the highest increase, there has also been an increase in people who "are willing to spend money on expensive food if it's delicious," and people tend to spend money on things that they see value in. This suggests that as news of rising prices due to the worsening international situation and the weak yen has been reported since the COVID-19 pandemic, Gen Z has also been affected, and they have begun to spend money in a frugal manner while still assessing value.

3. While the tendency to prepare ready-made meals is increasing, activities such as fan activities and eating out with friends are becoming more outward-looking. There are also changes in where you go out.

Looking at changes in food-related behavior, we see a growing trend towards tinkering with ready-to-eat meals, such as "yakiponde" (baked donuts) and "Seven Pan" (convenience store bread), but we also hear people say that "having an izakaya at home is a hassle," and we see a tendency for ready-to-eat meals to be broadly divided into those that are preferred and those that are not.

When it came to questions about eating out with friends and activities related to one's favorite idol, the results for 2024 far exceeded those for 2021 in all categories, clearly showing that people's attitudes and behaviors have shifted significantly more outward in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. This result is also supported by the increase in spending on hobbies and leisure activities.

4. Four food trends have changed significantly in three years. Where is the trend currently?

In this survey, each piece of content was evaluated from two perspectives: "Would you like to do it in the future?" and "Do you know about it?" The trends were divided according to the distribution of coordinates, creating four categories and proposing them as "Four Food Trends."
This time, we have also categorized the items.

Four food trends

1. Real Trend Zone: What's trending among Gen Z right now?
2. Viewing Zone: Things that you see frequently on social media and are interested in, but consume as content without experiencing it yourself
3. Secretly Trendy Zone: Things that are expected to become mass-market in the future
4. Upcoming trending zone: What is expected to become popular in the future

One particularly notable change is that in the 2021 survey, the real trend zone tended to be filled with things that could be enjoyed at home, such as "home cafes" and "home izakayas," but in the 2024 survey, there was a lot of content that involved eating out or going out to eat, such as the popular "fresh donuts" and "night cafes" that have long lines. In the viewing-only zone, the sample size has decreased compared to the 2021 survey, indicating that people are becoming more proactive about new food trends. In the secretly trending or soon-to-be trending zone, categories include "cat pudding," which you shake to enjoy the jiggly texture, "birthday cakes" to celebrate your favorite idol's birthday, and "character cakes," which recreate the shape of your favorite character or are topped with items. There was a trend toward more original food content with experiences than in 2021, such as "nunkatsu (afternoon tea activities)" and "Taiwanese chicken."

Based on these results, IMADA KITCHEN is promoting product development and expansion using the survey results.
In August 2024, we will invite "THE ISLAND," an authentic Hawaiian restaurant operated by Sasaki Create, whose main menu item is the acai bowl, which is a real trend, to open as "THE ISLAND ANNEX," a specialty Hawaiian sweets cafe. We are developing stores that suit the realities of Generation Z.

Survey Overview

1. Online survey
Research Methodology: Internet (T Survey)
Survey period: April 2, 2024 (Tuesday) - April 8, 2024 (Monday)
Survey area: Nationwide
Survey subjects: T member aged 18-24 / female / student
Number of samples: 1,209 samples

*Due to the merger of "T-POINTs" and SMBC Group's "V POINT" on April 22, 2024, the current survey name will be "V Survey."

2. Considerations based on qualitative research conducted by SHIBUYA109 lab.

IMADA KITCHEN Overview

IMADA KITCHEN is a food brand development project that promotes original Shibuya food that has not yet been released to the world. Through exhibiting at SHIBUYA109 Shibuya store, we are supporting the promotion and spreading of brand awareness among young people.

Left: "Oshi Café Fair" menu production (Karaoke Maneki Neko)
Right: Joint development of bakery items for Gen Z, "Croissant Muffin" and "Strawberry Whipped Cube Bread" (Lawson x Tokyu Store)

SHIBUYA109 lab. Overview

A youth marketing agency run by SHIBUYA109 Entertainment Co., Ltd. that specializes in new generations. The study focuses on the "around 20" (15-24 years old) demographic, which is SHIBUYA109's target demographic, and analyzes their actual situations from SHIBUYA109's unique perspective.

Overview of SHIBUYA109 Entertainment Co., Ltd.

The company operates three facilities, centered around SHIBUYA109 Shibuya Store (Shibuya Ward, Tokyo). With the corporate philosophy of "Making You SHINE! - Making the new generation shine now and making their dreams and wishes come true," the company is expanding its entertainment business beyond commercial facility management in order to make the new generation who will lead the future shine now and make their dreams and wishes come true.

Overview of CCC MK HOLDINGS Co., Ltd.

As a subsidiary of Culture Convenience Club Co., Ltd., we operate a marketing platform business based on a wide variety of data centered on "V POINT," a shared points service used by approximately 130 million people (number of valid IDs) and involving 4,500 companies and 160,000 stores nationwide (as of the end of June 2024).

*When quoting or reproducing public data, please make sure to clearly state that this is a "SHIBUYA109 lab./CCCMK Holdings joint survey."(SHIBUYA109 lab./https://shibuya109lab.jp)
*Company names, product names, service names, etc. mentioned in this release are trademarks or registered trademarks of each company.

Materials related to this matter

IMADA KITCHEN x CCCMK Holdings Joint Survey "Survey on Food Awareness of Generation Z"

Inquiries regarding this matter
Culture Convenience Club Co., Ltd. Public Relations Office: inquiry@ccc.co.jp