Articles Tagged with ''consumer trends''

In time for National Baking Month, new research from Cargill finds consumers want the best of both worlds – indulgence and health – and they’re willing to pay more for baked goods that deliver on both attributes.  

A staggering 48% of all households surveyed reported engaging in at least one source of tech-enabled income generation in 2022, led by content creation, peer-to-peer commerce, and rideshare driving. This trend is driven by Gen Z- and Millennial-led households, where 60% of  respondents said they derived such income in the last year.

Over the last year, cost and value for money have become more important to more than half of food and beverage consumers worldwide. Today’s shoppers are increasingly exploring money-saving strategies, such as choosing lower cost items and cooking from scratch. 

This annual report combines leading industry research findings with the latest data from T. Hasegawa’s product development and marketing teams to analyze what consumers are looking for in food and beverage categories and predict upcoming trends through next year.

"Exploding energy costs, crop failures, and supply chain disruption are all forcing companies to future-proof existing business models or bear uncertainty and increased cost implications," says Regan Leggett, foresight leader, NielsenIQ. 

“While consumers have historically navigated to store brand products to save money during challenging economic times, we’re seeing that only modest gains have been made in private brand’s share of the consumer wallet this year,” said Mary Ellen Lynch, principal, center store solutions, IRI. 

Insights from a two-and-a-half-year series of consumer sentiment tracking surveys by Rich Products (Rich’s) chart a clear course for retailers to capitalize on this momentum through more healthy options among their fresh bakery offerings, greater variety, and smaller, more affordable portion sizes. 

More than seven in 10 (71%) adult consumers, ages 18 and over, say they discover new products and brands in c-stores. Nearly four in 10 (38%) say they shop at c-stores two or more times a week, while overall, nearly two-thirds (62%) visit c-stores at least once a week.

Economic headwinds, including inflation and the threat of a recession, are setting up new hurdles for operators to navigate. But, despite a challenging start to 2023 expected, the latter part of the year should bring about optimism as the industry emerges from high inflation and a soft economy.  

Walmart is an early pioneer in the social commerce space and is always testing and learning in new channels, including shoppable livestreams, with the goal of better serving customers by meeting them when and how they want to shop.