Restaurants & Institutions’ 2008 New American Diner Study finds that U.S. consumers are keen on eating out and it reveals some important insights into consumer preferences. Although the study focuses on foodservice and dining out, the findings are fairly universal and we believe that vegetarian food companies may find these messages useful to their businesses — after all, it only make sense that what’s important to individuals in choosing where to eat also ranks highly to consumers when choosing what to eat.

In this study of 1,500 consumers, the 2008 Channel Preference Survey by ExactTarget examines six key consumer groups and discusses both their media consumption habits and the influence of email versus direct mail over consumer purchases. A helpful marketing tool, this type of research can assist vegetarian food businesses in segmenting potential target audiences and developing appropriate marketing strategies and mechanisms to reach and influence key potential consumer groups.

Although economic woes are currently impacting consumers of all types, this may be the perfect time for vegetarian food companies to pursue new customers in the marketplace by grabbing their attention with aggressive pricing and coupon strategies. Saving a few dollars is top of mind for consumers today and people are much more aware of coupons, sales, and other price reduction mechanisms than in financially better times.