Here’s How Consumers View Holiday Snacking
Faced with out-of-stocks, shoppers are OK with trying a new brand or pack size—or visiting a different store.
Dec 14, 2021
PLANO, Texas—Snacking consumption trends are continuing to evolve, with 50% of adults reporting they tried new snacks in the past year, according to Frito-Lay’s fourth-annual Snack Index.
The Snack Index found 40% of consumers expect to purchase food and snack items two to three weeks before the holidays, up from 31% in 2020. This uptick in advance shopping comes as consumers place higher priority on securing their favorite snacks for the holidays, as 81% of adults have seen, heard or read something about supply chain challenges.
"Our goal at Frito-Lay is to meet consumers’ snacking demand wherever and whenever they snack,” said Mike Del Pozzo, senior vice president of sales and chief customer officer, PepsiCo Foods North America, in a news release. “We’ve made significant investments in our omnichannel and ecommerce platforms to continue to satisfy our consumers’ needs, and we’re looking forward to being part of their holiday celebrations.”
However, only 19% of consumers expressed concern about availability of their favorite items and products, and one-fifth of adults say they plan to snack even more frequently as COVID-19 pandemic mandates continue to evolve. For those who currently work from home, when they return to the office, 78% anticipate buying the same snack options as before, 21% intend to buy more individually packaged snacks, and 20% are likely to buy more snacks in bulk to package themselves to bring into the office.
The study found that if a food item were out of stock, consumers would most likely purchase a different size than their normal choice (82%), try a different brand (81%), or go to a different store to look for the item (77%). Seventy-eight percent of adults are likely to shop online for snacks this year.
During holiday gatherings, finger foods will make a bigger appearance with 44% planning to serve them compared with 38% in 2020. As New Year’s resolutions set in, 30% plan to consume healthier snacks like nuts, seeds, peanuts and granola bars. Additionally, 22% of adults plan to try new snack flavors in the new year.
Three snacking trends are going to influence the future of snacking, according to Gil Horsky, global innovations director for SnackFutures, the innovation and venture hub for Mondelēz International. The trends are functional ingredients, sustainability and digitization. Similarly, Blas Maquivar, president of global emerging markets for Mars Wrigley, sees three trends evolving in the snacking category, including a “digital default” trend.
Increased snacking by pandemic-weary consumers was well documented in 2020. According to Mondelēz International’s State of Snacking report, released late last year, nearly 90% of adults said they were snacking the same or more than before the outbreak. In c-stores, however, slowed foot traffic—as many worked from home—disrupted some of the leading snack categories. Except for candy, all center-store categories lost in-store sales share in 2020 versus 2019, according to NACS State of the Industry data. But c-stores are positioned for recovery. Learn how in “Piece of the Action” in the September 2021 issue of NACS Magazine.
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