With the cost of living rising, and the hangover from the pandemic making people want to embrace the Summer months now more than ever, we’re seeing a growing trend for social activities taking place inside our homes.
Based on data from Food communities indexed on our platform, we can all look forward to a Summer of dinner parties, house parties, BBQs and everything in between.
It's often said that the kitchen is the heart of the home, and at home-based social gatherings, the kitchen notoriously becomes the center of the action.
It’s here that people congregate; sharing food, drink and anecdotes. But why is it that we always find people in the kitchen at parties, and how can brands tap into this cultural phenomenon?
Make yourself at home
Our communities in the Food and Beverage space are what you might describe as the ‘parent’ of your friendship group. Over indexing on generosity and altruism, these communities like nothing more than inviting people into their home and providing a nurturing, joyful environment. They also score highly for empathy, allowing them to tune into their guests and provide the experience they need to feel at home.
So, why the kitchen? As guests arrive at a party, the kitchen is the natural first port of call, as it’s the place to drop off drinks and snacks. It’s also where the host can likely be found- helping make space in the fridge, or adding the finishing touches to the food - so people naturally gravitate here.
This natural movement of guests to and from the kitchen makes it a more ‘neutral’ location in the house, meaning guests often feel most comfortable when they’re there. And, this fluidity of movement means organic groups can form, disband, and flow around the room - the opposite of getting stuck on a sofa talking to that one person you were hoping to avoid.
Keep it clean
With the average Brit spending two years of their lives cleaning, it’s no wonder we prefer parties to take place in the area of the house designed specifically for mess. Personality analysis using natural language processing shows our Food communities over-index by 25% as excitement seekers, and under index by 10% for self discipline. This makes sense when combined with a high engagement with brands offering smart and aesthetically pleasing kitchen solutions, such as Joseph Joseph and OXO.
This tells us that while they love the noise and mess of a party, they would prefer not to have to dedicate excessive hours to the cleanup. This theme is especially pronounced in our Food communities that overlap with Parenting communities, where we can see even higher interest in topics such as Home Appliances, Smart Home Hubs and Home Tech.
And for guests - while standing at a kitchen countertop isn’t as relaxing as sitting on the sofa, in reality, parking yourself next to a wipe-clean surface (with close proximity to cleaning products in case of spillages) naturally puts people at ease. There’s nothing worse than sloshing a red wine all over a cream carpet.
Eat, drink, and be merry
It’s no secret that many of us are food and drink motivated - and party food may be one of our favourite genres. In the UK, 86% of adults eat snacks at home, and 76% of us enjoy an alcoholic drink at least every week.
Amongst our Food communities, we see similarly high interest in Snack Food and Alcohol Subscription Services, as we do with Fine Dining, and Famous Chefs.
At a party, the kitchen is where you’ll find these two magic ingredients. Whether you’re hosting a wine and cheese night, a tequila-fuelled Mexican feast, or a student party with tinnies and crisps - all the crucial elements for setting the scene can be found in the kitchen.
With many of us seeing parties and social occasions as an excuse to indulge, there’s little reason to bother leaving. Park yourself at the counter and get first dibs on your favorite snacks.
At Codec, we work with ambitious brands globally, helping them supercharge their growth through the power of communities.
Powered by our award-winning AI, we track communities across both category and consumer sectors, providing us with the ability to unearth trends both at an aggregate level and on a community-specific basis.
Want to tap into your undiscovered communities and unlock your brand potential? Get in touch info@codec.ai
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