Retail Market Trends

RSS

Per the Innova Database of new products, snack bar new product introductions (cereal and energy bars) grew more than 6% while cold cereal launches expanded by more than 2% during the first 11 months of 2022 versus the same period in 2021. Hot cereal launches declined by around 10% during the same period.

The drop in total online grocery sales was entirely driven by Ship-to-Home sales, which declined 15% to $1.3 billion. Pickup posted the strongest gains, increasing almost 3% on a year-over-year basis to 4.1 billion, while Delivery grew less than 1%, holding steady around $3.0 billion. Collectively, the three segments captured just over 12% of total grocery spending in the month, slightly higher than a year ago and likely buoyed by strong overall grocery spending by US households. Excluding Ship-to-Home, the share of spending attributed to Pickup and Delivery was more than 10%.

JPG Resources identified 731 booths (23%) as having “vegan” food, and 401 booths (13%) that described their offerings as functional. Meanwhile, references to “regenerative agriculture” and “fermentation” mentions made up approximately 1% each out of 3,178 total exhibitors.

This new report leverages IRI’s -- now Circana --  latest point-of-sale data, which reveals that at-home food and beverage inflation was up 13.2% in Q4 2022 versus Q4 2021. While consumption levels are continuing to soften, at-home food spend remains strong, with center store sales up 11.1% and perimeter sales up 6.3% in Q4 2022.

While 85% of consumers say rising inflation has had an impact on the way they shop overall, there are areas in which they are not willing to compromise. Today’s brands are being pushed to be different, accessible, and to seem premium and/or customized—all while driving cost savings for their own operations.

Over the past decade, the alternative protein industry has seen rapid growth in investor interest, with a total of $14.2 billion invested globally. Despite a high variance, investment in alternative proteins has doubled on average year over year. Amid challenging market conditions, alternative protein investment decelerated over the past year (alongside the 35% decline in overall global venture funding), decreasing from $5.1 billion in 2021 to $2.9 billion in 2022.

Driven by consumer desire for wholesome food options that deliver on taste, Dole is launching new innovations across every category – snacking, beverages, ingredients and frozen treats – and entering new categories like functional supplements and probiotic sodas under a new brand.

The majority of the trends focus on sustainability, which is proving to be the primary motivator for many new and emerging entrepreneurs, a key factor in corporate commitments and an important “why” behind radical transparency and impact assessments.

Circana™ is as leading advisor on the complexity of consumer behavior. Through unparalleled technology, advanced analytics, cross-industry data and deep expertise, Circana provides clarity that helps clients take action and unlock business growth.