Kids Are Everyday Influencers

Decision-Making is Shared

Cultural and Emotional Bonds Drive Brand Loyalty

Overlooked Voices = Missed Opportunities

• A child’s aversion to texture could determine which yogurt gets repurchased
• A grandparent’s health needs might shape what snacks are kept in the home
• Sibling preferences might lead parents to choose more multipack formats

Start with the Whole Household in Mind

• Select family units or multi-person households rather than individuals alone
• Ask screening questions about who provides input on purchasing and why
• Encourage multiple members of the household to participate in the trek

Observe Shopping in Context

Include Age-Appropriate Voices

Design Sessions for Interaction, Not Just Observation

Analyze as a Unit, Not Just Individually

When conducting CPG consumer research using Empathy Treks or in-home observational approaches, it’s essential to engage more than just the person who makes the physical trip to the store. Household shopping – especially for everyday products like snacks, beverages, personal care items, and household cleaners – is often a group decision shaped by both kids and adults. Capturing insights from all relevant family members helps reveal the full range of household influences that affect purchase behavior.

Set Up Inclusive Research Environments

Create opportunities where both children and adults feel comfortable sharing. Whether you're conducting a home visit, virtual interview, or family-assisted shop-along, allow space for everyone to participate naturally. Keep it casual – especially for younger kids – and avoid scripted questions. Open dialogue promotes honesty and uncovers unspoken dynamics that drive decisions.

Use Age-Appropriate Engagement Methods

Children have unique perspectives – and they’re often incredibly influential. Instead of treating young participants like miniature adults, use methods that meet them at their level. Examples include:

• Visual preference boards to discover packaging likes/dislikes
• Simple draw-and-tell activities about routines or favorite products
• Snack or toy “shopping” with play money to mimic in-store choices

This style of kids market research not only builds comfort but surfaces the sensory and emotional drivers that parents might overlook.

Balance Input with Behavior Observation

Words are important – but don’t stop there. When capturing family shopper behavior insights, watch how kids physically interact with products and how parents respond. Does a child reach for a brand based on packaging color or characters? Does a parent push back or buy it anyway? These moments unlock clues about household dynamics in CPG purchases that traditional surveys may miss.

During Empathy Treks designed for multi-person households, consider noting:

• Gestures and reactions during family decision-making moments
• Product swaps suggested by kids vs. accepted by parents
• Nonverbal cues (like parent hesitation) that imply compromise

Include Post-Trek Reflection

Once the family trek is complete, allot time for individual reflection. Kids and parents often reveal more once they’ve had a chance to process the experience alone. This step adds rich context to the in-the-moment responses and helps researchers better map emotional vs rational drivers of purchase behavior.

It’s easy to assume that talking to the primary shopper will give you the full picture. After all, they’re the ones placing items in the cart or clicking “add to basket.” However, in multi-person households, especially those with children, the true influencers are not always the ones doing the buying. Interviewing only the shopper can leave meaningful insights on the table – insights that are crucial to understanding real-world consumer behavior.

You Miss Emotional Drivers and Associative Preferences

Children often build emotional attachments to certain CPG products – think cereals with characters, fun-shaped snacks, or brightly colored personal care items. These emotional responses can heavily influence requests made to parents. When you don’t ask kids directly or observe their preferences, you may underrepresent this critical layer of product appeal.

You Get Rationalized, Not Real, Purchase Motivations

Adults tend to explain decisions logically: “I bought it because it was on sale” or “It’s healthier.” While those factors matter, they often mask the real truth – like acquiescing to repeated child requests or simply sticking to a brand that causes fewer arguments. Without family-inclusive shopper insights, your CPG research skews toward rational justifications over behavioral realities.

You Miss Household Dynamics and Role Negotiation

Shopper-only interviews skip over how decisions are negotiated or contested at home. Many parents will share how children “win” shopping decisions, but you’ll rarely see the nuance unless you involve the entire household. Are children offered choices ahead of time? Do parents say no but still give in at the point of sale? These moments shape household decisions and should inform how products are positioned or packaged.

You Limit Your Innovation Opportunities

Excluding family voices narrows the range of product ideas and improvements your brand might uncover. For example, children may suggest new flavors or formats you wouldn’t think of, or complain about usability in a way that sparks innovation. Parents may share compromises they have to make between convenience, cost, and preferences across ages. Together, these insights can drive more empathetic product development.

Why Shopper-Centric Alone Isn’t Enough

Incorporating full-family viewpoints provides a more accurate, three-dimensional look at CPG consumer behavior with kids. It also helps brands avoid false assumptions – like believing purchase patterns stem only from adult preferences, missing the fact that the real power often sits in the back seat of the car.

Capturing family dynamics during CPG empathy treks is only the first step. The true value lies in turning those observations and family narratives into insights that guide product development, packaging, and marketing strategies. Understanding how children influence family purchase decisions can unlock new ways to connect with all household members in meaningful, relatable ways.

Map the Decision Journey from Multiple Angles

Begin with a clear understanding of when and how each family member influences a purchase. Is it at the planning stage? In the store aisle? Or back at home when supplies run out? Mapping these key moments for each person – adult and child – helps identify where brands have a chance to influence opinion or smooth decision-making friction.

Use Personas to Represent Household Roles

Translate your findings into relatable family personas that reflect real-life behaviors. For example:

• “Decision Delegator Dad” – sets the budget but lets kids choose specific SKUs
• “Health-Conscious Mom” – balances child preferences with nutrition concerns
• “Routine Repeater Kid” – always opts for the same snack, creating brand loyalty early

Using these personas in internal conversations helps cross-functional teams design solutions that account for diverse user needs within a single household.

Prioritize Flexibility in Product Design

Multi-person household market research often reveals the need for flexibility: different sizes, flavors, or order formats that satisfy all family members. Consider creating modular pack options or family-size containers that serve both individual and shared needs. These ideas stem directly from family shopper behavior insights and help solve real pain points uncovered during ethnographic research.

Refine Messaging by Age Group and Role

Kids and parents process brand messages differently. Use your shopper insights for family products to fine-tune marketing tactics. For example:

• Highlight playfulness or ease-of-use features in content targeting kids or tweens
• Reinforce trust, nutrition, or long-term value in messaging toward parents

Segmented storytelling ensures your brand resonates throughout the household while supporting the shared purchase decision process.

Structure Innovation Pipelines Around Household Realities

Finally, use insights from multigenerational research to challenge assumptions in your innovation pipeline. Ideas that emerge during empathy treks for family purchases – even from a child’s offhand comment – could guide your next concept test or packaging revamp. Grounding innovation in observed household dynamics increases relevance, buy-in, and emotional resonance with target shoppers.