Trends

The pandemic has supermarkets relying more on retail dietitians to be their accessible, consoling, educational faces to in-store and virtual shoppers coping with stress and uncertainty.

During the RDBA Virtual Experience, RDBA CEO Phil Lempert shared his perspective on the key trends in consumer behavior that have emerged out of the pandemic: eating at home, online grocery shopping, and staying healthy and well as well as the future of consumer behaviors and how the grocery experience will change as a result. 

An increased interest in composting may be one of the good things to come out of the coronavirus pandemic. While nationwide, concrete numbers aren’t available, local news stories across the country are touting heightened consumer interest in composting.

During the ongoing pandemic, home cooking has become a necessity for consumers and while many of them are enjoying their time in the kitchen, others are growing weary. How can retailers continue to best support the cooking needs of their customers? The Hartman Group and FMI recently conducted a survey looking at Home Cooking in America 2020 to assist retailers with this mission. Here are the key insights and opportunities:

The COVID pandemic exposed a huge number of consumers to click and collect shopping, many of whom were using it for the first time. According to freshop, the current average basket size for click and collect is $122 and 85% of sales are the same day or next morning. Thirty percent of sales are via a mobile app and 75% of orders are for pick up. Experts predict that this method of purchasing and picking up groceries will be a big part of the future as it is both efficient and cost effective for the retailer. Here’s a look at what’s next for click and collect:

This is the 15th time the International Food Information Council (IFIC) has surveyed American consumers to understand their perceptions, beliefs, and behaviors around food and food purchasing decisions. The 2020 survey took place against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic which has certainly impacted food and dietary habits. The online survey of 1,011 Americans ages 18 to 80 provided some thought-provoking results and implications for retail dietitians:

And in a way, I’m glad to hear it. The overly obsessive focus on food has gotten carried away over the past few years. It’s a must-read article for everyone in the food world.

July 31 looms as a date that could have dramatic impact on the budgets of the millions of Americans currently unemployed. If Congress and the White House decide note to extend the $600 a week federal unemployment subsidy, consumers will have less money to spend, including on groceries. This could make owned brand products even more attractive than they have been during the pandemic thus far.

The Glass Pantry, 1039 S. Fifth Place, in Milwaukee is now open for online orders with local delivery and curbside pickup only. And yes, it’s because of Covid-19 – but it wasn’t planned that way.

Whatever the reason for sugar reduction, sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) are typically the first place dietitians recommend shoppers start looking to reduce sugar intake, as it is the number one source of added sugars in the American diet.