Just under half (47%) of adults claim to use chewing gum as a breath freshener, while a third (33%) claim to use mints, with almost 1 in 5 (17%) claiming to use both chewing gum and mints. All three of which are down in their incidence from previous research conducted in this category.
Recent research on behalf of Retail Intelligence by Empathy Research, amongst a nationally representative sample of 1,000 adults aged 18+, sought to understand the purchase behaviour in both the chewing gum and mint category.
Chewing gum purchase is significantly higher amongst those aged under 34, where some 7 in 10 (70%) claim to purchase. Those aged 65+ (16%) are least likely to purchase chewing gum but are significantly more likely to only purchase mints (30%). While the incidence of chewing gum purchase might have dropped from previous levels, the frequency of purchase amongst those who still buy has increased, with 47% of current purchasers buying once a week or more often, up from 44%.
When it comes to purchase behaviour over the past 12 months, there are almost 1 in 5 (18%) chewing gum buyers who claim to have increased their purchase frequency, with the same proportion (18%), claiming to have decreased purchase over the same period. There has been little difference in these figures across the two waves of research.
Fresh Breath
While the main motivations for increasing purchase frequency centre on the desire for fresh breath (49%) and its refreshing qualities, there are a quarter (25%) who have increased their purchase of chewing gum in order to fight food cravings.
Further to this, there are 1 in 7 (14%) who have increased their purchase frequency to help stop smoking. Amongst those who have decreased their purchase of chewing gum, the main factor is a falling out of the habit of purchasing, cited by almost 6 in 10 (58%), with 18% trying to cut back on artificial sweeteners and 17% claiming they contain too much sugar.
For further information and more in-depth analysis on the purchase behaviour of those who purchase breath fresheners, please contact Robbie Clarke at Empathy Research.
© 2019 Checkout – your source for the latest Irish retail news. Article by Donna Ahern. Click subscribe to sign up for the Checkout print edition.
