Foodservice is much more than an industry or an occupation. It’s a culture, a passion and a lifestyle for operators and decision makers.

Foodservice is also a very insular world. Operators frequently consult each other, their customers and trusted sales representatives before making important purchase decisions. But that structure is changing, and the perfect example is the evolving relationship between social media and food industry decision makers.

To truly understand the new dynamic between social media and food industry purchase decisions, a new food industry research study consulted operators about their buyer’s journey and what influences them along the way. The “Media Consumption Behaviors and the Decision-Making Journey of Foodservice Operators” Study was developed by Boomm Marketing & Communications to help foodservice marketing professionals make better-informed decisions when creating communications strategies. The research was conducted by leading foodservice research firm Product Evaluations.

Social media is the fastest growing source

When researching the relationship between social media and food industry purchase decisions, some intriguing trends emerged.

Social media has become the fastest growing information source among foodservice decision makers. 44% of all respondents said their social media use has increased over last year and 15% confirmed it has increased dramatically.

In addition, food industry social media use is widespread, with all age segments relying on it as a valuable component in their decision-making toolkit.

“It was not surprising when the research study findings revealed that Millennial operators are heavy users of social media,” said Gary Mattes, CEO of Boomm. “However, it was intriguing to see how significantly food industry social media use has grown among operators in every segment.”

New social media use infographic

To learn more about the evolving relationship between social media and food industry purchase decisions, check out the new infographic. You’ll discover how often different segments are using social media and the most popular networks among operators today.

In addition, the first white paper from the new food industry research study is available for download now. It shows the buyer’s journey for a number of important purchase decisions aligned to the sales funnel. Contact Gary Mattes today to download this valuable resource.