Consumer Digest: January 2022
Welcome to the January edition of the Consumer Digest, where we aim to provide relevant, informative and actionable insights around consumer trends and what consumers value. This month, we examine how the uptick in COVID cases is affecting shoppers, Valentine’s Day, whether or not consumers are willing to pay a premium price for sustainability, brand switching and what snacks consumers are planning to purchase for Super Bowl Sunday.
COVID concern increasing among shoppers as cases continue to rise with omicron.
40% of shoppers claim they are extremely concerned about COVID this month, up 11 percentage points from December.
This ~40% level is similar to what we saw during the back-to-school period and during the summer of 2020.
19% of consumers are extremely uncomfortable making plans, up from 11% in December.
Top reasons consumers are uncomfortable
77% say level of COVID cases
60% say lack of vaccinated individuals
56% will not be comfortable until COVID is gone/mostly gone
Top reasons consumers are comfortable
51% - I wear a mask when necessary
48% - I’m over it and want to get back to normal
47% - My family and friends are vaccinated
Are you ready for some football1?
67% of consumers plan to watch the Super Bowl this year – with 40% gathering with the same amount of people as last year.
Over half of shoppers will be watching in their home with friends and family, while only 3% will be venturing to a bar or restaurant.
The top Super Bowl food items this year are chips and dips, alcoholic beverages, homemade appetizers, pizza and pre-made appetizers.
Cupid is Coming!
75% of consumers plan to celebrate Valentine’s Day this year.
Besides buying for a spouse (39%)/significant other (17%), shoppers will be showering their children (33%), other relatives (11%) and pets (8%) with gifts this year.
The top items that we are shopping for are candy, cards, dinner, personalized gifts and flowers.
A whopping 71% of consumers are planning to purchase their flowers at a grocery store, while only 8% will be doing so through an online channel.
New Year’s Focus – Physical, Financial, and Mental Health
Almost 60% of consumers cite heathier eating or exercising as goals for the New Year. This same percentage of shoppers also want to save more money/spend less.
Almost 40% of consumers are planning on focusing on their mental health this year.
In Summer 2021, Clean/Simple Ingredients were the most important health attribute. High protein and low sugar now are top in importance for the healthy food trends consumers are seeking.
Sustainability
27% of consumers say that they care very much about sustainability when it comes to shopping
Only 9% of consumers claim that they recognize they will pay a premium price for sustainable features, so while sustainability may be important, consumers want to find cost effective ways to be sustainable.
Brand Switching – Price or Supply?
Only 8% of consumers say they would not purchase another brand/item if their favorite wasn’t available.
This month 52% of consumers claim they will purchase a similar product if their item is out of stock, up from 45% last month
SOURCE: 1.) 84.51° Real Time Insights, January 2022
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