HomeCover Story
What Tweens Want, What They'll Buy
“Hannah Montana: The Movie” is now playing, Tween favorites The Jonas Brothers will launch a new clothing line for Tweens come back-to-school time, and there’s even a pair of Tween girls living in the White House. Tween culture abounds in the U.S. If your business strategy includes marketing to this fickle and influential group of consumers, you may find yourself confused about what it is they really want – not to mention what mom or dad will actually buy for them.
According to the U.S. Census, there are approximately 20 million “Tweens” – kids ages eight to 12 – in the U.S. Companies that see these kids as an important part of the target audience for their product or service need to answer two vitally important questions about Tweens in order to reach this key consumer segment: How do Tweens spend their time? How is money spent on their behalf?
In February, NPD issued Kids’ Leisure Time III, which looks at how kids in the U.S. spend their free time and how that has changed over the past three years. The report includes detail by age and gender. Another recent report, Spotlight on Kids: Understanding Cross-Category Purchasing reveals where and how money was spent on kids during the 2008 holiday season. Both reports help paint a picture of the important U.S. Tween consumer.
How do kids spend their free time?
Watching TV, playing video games, listening to music, spending time with friends, and using a computer are the top five ways Tweens spend their leisure time during an average week. The time spent playing video games doesn’t even tell the whole story – the number-one activity when using a computer is – you guessed it – playing games. In fact, NPD’s consumer tracking service found 14 percent of the video game industry’s unit sales from May to December 2008 were sales intended for Tweens.
What do adults buy for those Tweens?
During the 2008 holiday season, video games and PC games captured 31 percent of the spending for Tweens. What didn’t capture dollars spent on Tweens? Party supplies, school gear, and arts & crafts. But there were big differences between boys and girls. Thirty-six percent of holiday spending on boys in this age group went to video game systems and games, while only 23 percent was spent on those items for girls. Consumers spent more on apparel and music for girls, while sporting goods captured a greater portion of total spending for boys than it did for girls at holiday time.
What do Tweens eat when they dine out?
Pizza is far and away the most popular quick service restaurant food for Tweens. Additionally, its popularity has increased slightly since 2007, and it could warrant a place on more kids’ menus. On the flip side, French fries and chicken nuggets are also popular, but may be on a downward trend. Up-and-coming items include hamburgers, tacos, and pasta.
While pizza dominates kids’ selections in quick service restaurants, pasta takes over that spot at full service restaurants. Pasta also is gaining in popularity among six- to 12-year-olds. NPD’s foodservice industry analysts note that this really relates to the popularity of macaroni and cheese, served at 8.7 percent of Tweens’ full service visits. Some quick service restaurant chains have tapped into this demand with the introduction of macaroni and cheese on their menus.
| Top Five Dinner Foods for Kids
Aged Six to 12 Year Ending December 2008 Ranked on Menu Importance (percent of meals/snacks including item) | |||
| Quick Service Restaurants | |||
| Menu Imp. | Pt. Chg. | ||
| 1 | Pizza | 34.8 | 0.4 |
| 2 | French Fries | 25 | -2.1 |
| 3 | Nuggets | 15 | -1.1 |
| 4 | Cheeseburgers | 12.9 | -0.1 |
| 5 | Fried Chicken | 6.2 | -0.4 |
| Full Service Restaurants | |||
| Menu Imp. | Pt. Chg. | ||
| 1 | Pasta | 17 | 2.7 |
| 2 | French Fries | 13.3 | -0.1 |
| 3 | Pizza | 12.3 | 1.3 |
| 4 | Nuggets/Strips | 12.2 | -0.9 |
| 5 | Rice | 9.7 | -0.2 |
Source: The NPD Group/CREST
What about shopping for clothes?
About four in five Tweens have a parent with them when they shop for clothes. And since they usually foot the bill, mom and dad have substantial influence over their kids’ clothing choices at this age. This appears to be the case especially for young girls, with significantly more females ages eight to 12 reporting “I need to get my parents’ agreement on where I buy clothes,” compared to males in the same age group (36 percent vs. 24 percent).
Not only are female Tweens more likely than their male counterparts to need their parents’ agreement on where they purchase their clothing, but they also are significantly more likely to need approval regarding
what types of clothing items they buy (60 percent vs. 48 percent).
Commenting on the importance of this consumer group, Marshal Cohen, chief industry analyst, The NPD Group, Inc. said, "Tweens are the gateway to marketing product to the whole household. The influence that they have on purchases reaches from the youngest consumer to the eldest."
In today’s competitive business environment, could this age segment present fresh opportunities for your business?
To learn more about how NPD can help your company understand Tweens and other key consumer segments, contact Charles Camaroto at 866-444-1411 (+1-516-625-2311 outside the U.S.), or email contactnpd@npd.com.