forbrugertal

Forbrugertal is a term used in Danish market research and consumer analytics to denote the age range during which a given product or service is predominantly consumed. The word combines forbrug (consumption) and alder (age) and is commonly translated as "consumption age" or "age of consumption" in English-language texts.

Applications of forbrugertal include helping marketers understand who buys or uses a product, guiding product development, pricing, and communications, and informing media planning and channel strategy. The concept is typically expressed as a distribution across age groups, often shown as the age band where the majority of users fall, though some analyses report multiple bands to illustrate the breadth of usage.

Determining forbrugertal involves collecting data from consumer surveys, point-of-sale systems, loyalty programs, and digital analytics. The process usually starts with defining the product category, selecting a representative population, and calculating consumption frequency or penetration by age. Identifying the peak consumption age band can indicate the primary target group, while longitudinal studies can reveal how forbrugertal shifts over time or in response to marketing actions.

Limitations of the concept include variations by region, culture, and market maturity, as well as sensitivity to how products are used by different cohorts. Forbrugertal should be interpreted alongside other segmentation variables such as income, gender, and life stage, since the same product can have different age profiles in different markets or over time. In practice, it is one of several dimensions used to understand consumer behavior and guide strategic decisions.