STATE COLLEGE, Pa. – Contrary to common perceptions, women now account for just 51% of grocery store shoppers, narrowing the gender gap in this key CPG channel. However, women still buy more items and spend more—on average $2.73 per shopping trip more than men—according to the latest VideoMining Grocery Shopper Impact (GSI) MegaStudy.

Among the most compelling findings from the latest MegaStudy is the trend in grocery shoppers who shop only in the perimeter of the store. While data from 2012 showed that 12% of shoppers limited themselves to the perimeter, that number has grown to 20% today—meaning one in five shoppers don’t shop center store at all.

The MegaStudy also revealed that 68% of grocery visits are relatively small trips—10 items or fewer—meaning that manufacturers have a limited opportunity to make it into the basket during the majority of shopping trips. Between small trips, perimeter-only shoppers and changing shopper demographics, brands must now be increasingly precise in targeting marketing messages and merchandising solutions to get and convert these harder-to-reach shoppers.