Game On: Datassential’s Midyear Trends Report
by David Klemt
Brought to you by Xbox, Scorpion Gaming, and cool photography.
The 2024 Midyear Trends Report released by Datassential earlier this month contains an intriguing revelation that savvy operators can leverage.
There is, of course, interesting and useful information throughout. After all, Datassential conducted a survey of 1,500-plus US consumers, along with 400 US foodservice operators.
Surveying nearly 2,000 people is going to garner some helpful insights.
For example, we know that many people are concerned with their nutrition. Along with that comes reading nutrition labels. However, US consumers appear to throw that behavior to the wayside when dining out.
According to Datassential’s survey results, 62 percent of consumers in the US read the nutrition labels on new items before selecting them for purchase at grocery stores. But nearly that same percentage of consumers, 58 percent, don’t consider diets or nutrition when choosing where they’re going to eat.
What that says to me is that people still viewing dining out as a treat or an occasion. Most people, when treating themselves and others, see it as an escape. An escape from the stresses of work, of life, and from eating “boring” foods.
People are still driven to leave home to gather, socialize, and have fun. And restaurants and bars still play a major role in meeting those needs and desires.
Negative and fear-mongering stories may be getting all the clicks, but Datassential’s findings are much less on the doom-and-gloom side of the equation. Per their midyear report, nearly 90 percent of US restaurant operators have seen increases in traffic (46 percent) or had their traffic remain the same (42 percent) so far this year. Just 12 percent of operators reported decreases in traffic, according to Datassential.
Game On
Now, let’s look at the data in this report that really caught my attention.
The Datassential report reveals that 61 percent of survey respondents play video games. Citing Entertainment Software Association data, close to 200 million Americans are gamers. Going further, gaming spans all ages. Last year, gamers spent well over $50 billion on this particular hobby. MarketWatch claims even combined, the global sports and movie industries don’t outperform video games financially.
Of all respondents to the Datassential survey, a quarter aren’t gamers, and 15 percent “used to” play video games. That latter group consists mainly of Gen Xers. And, hey, fair enough—some people don’t enjoy or have time for video games.
In contrast, however, 23 percent of survey respondents label themselves “avid gamers.” Gen Z, Millennials, and men make up the majority of this group of consumers.
Almost 40 percent (38%) classify themselves as “casual.” This group consists mainly of Gen X, Gen Z, and women.
Alright, so…what does this have to do with restaurant operators? Well, gamers spent $57 billion just on video games. Per Datassential, 45 percent of survey respondents have made F&B purchases after consuming video game-related ads or content. This is true of 63 percent of US Gen Z consumers, and 56 percent of US Millennials.
These stats tell me that gaming pays not just for console manufacturers and game producers, but also for F&B operators. It would seem to me, then, that operators with concepts that can leverage video games in an authentic manner should give strong consideration to doing so.
So, game on?
