Picture this. Your friends ask you to go to a new restaurant that just opened across the way. You’re excited about the new scenery but hesitant about the menu options. You open the menu and see foods and ingredients you can’t even pronounce. You turn the page, and there it is in all its glory, something familiar you know and love! You order it immediately. If this experience sounds familiar, you may be a Flavor Hesitator.

What is a Hesitator?

A Hesitator is the largest segment of Givaudan’s Flavorfinders segmentation. We are identified by the comfort we find in dependably good food. We prefer comfort over experimentation and may be more cautious than adventurous. All in all… we prefer to stay in our lane.

At first, when I heard I was a Hesitator, I was disappointed! I wanted to be someone who is adventurous and eats outside of the box foods. I soon realized that being a hesitator doesn’t mean you aren’t willing to try new products; it just takes more time and convincing. I now wear my Hesitator badge with honor!

What do Hesitators Buy?

In the wild, you’ll see us go for more of the familiar over the unknown. At a bar, we go for the more well-known beer brands and cocktails we recognize. We tend to shop more at larger brand stores like Kroger, Walmart, and Club Stores. At restaurants, we stick to the classics like burgers, fries, and pizza.

My number one spot used to be Kroger, but after YEARS of convincing, I finally got into Trader Joe’s. This store does not have major label brands, but they do have appealing flavors that have a healthy twist. Watch us try some of those foods and drinks in the video below.

Let’s Put It to the Test

Armand (my fellow flavor Hesitator) and I decided to put our Hesitator label to the test and try a variety of products to see which ones we like the best. Do we lean towards anything more adventurous? Or do we fall back into the tried and true? Watch the video to find out.

To no surprise, Armand and I’s favorite was the fruit punch Yerba Mate. This drink is becoming more and more recognizable and growing on menus, catching the attention of the broader population. The familiar flavor of fruit punch was the icing on the cake and made the new drink more approachable.

A New Lense of Segmentation

Make sure to visit Kim’s Blog which goes into detail on this new way of segmentation and how to better profile your consumers. Also, be sure to check out the other segments, Followers, and Investigators. A blog on Trailblazers is on the way! What segment do you think you fall under? Let us know in the comments!