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. 

“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. 

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. 

The early stages of the pandemic disrupted this rhythm, and just as eating patterns were returning to pre-pandemic normalcy, food inflation set them on end again, reports The NPD Group in its recently released 2022 edition of Eating Patterns in America. 

Operators report that frozen foods offer solutions to many of the operational challenges they face in light of the ongoing supply chain and labor market disruptions.

Whole Foods Market’s Trends Council unveiled their top 10 anticipated food trends for 2023 in the retailer’s eighth-annual Trends predictions. Yaupon-infused beverages, produce packed pastas, repurposed pulp and climate-conscious callouts are among the food trends expected to rise in popularity in the next year.

In addition to the future of the economy, inflation is top of mind across the population. Nine in 10 consumers (94%) say they are currently worried about inflation, and 67% believe the majority of Americans share in these concerns, while a third (34%) believe it’s other Americans – rather than themselves – who are financially struggling right now.

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.