Nearly 13% of Americans, or 17% of U.S. households, receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance benefits, yet they represent nearly a third of total store sales. Sally Lyons Wyatt, Circana’s global executive vice president for consumer goods and foodservice insights, talks about who is winning the SNAP shopper and strategies all retailers should use to engage this valuable shopper group. Highlights: SNAP shoppers represent nearly 50% of dollar store sales, and nearly 40% of convenience channel sal...
Feb 22, 2024•17 min•Ep. 148
Moving from full-service to self-service in meat and deli departments, increasing value-added offerings in produce and deli, these are just a few examples of grocery retail’s evolution. Jonna Parker, team lead, Circana’s Fresh Foods Group, and Anne-Marie Roerink, president of 210 Analytics, advocate for learning about the most important shopper groups and meeting their changing needs. Highlights: Baby boomers, long the biggest spenders, are on the cusp of being overtaken by Gen X and millennials...
Feb 02, 2024•37 min•Ep. 147
Most of the consumer tech innovation at the Consumer Electronics Show 2024 are enhancements to existing technology; think better quality audio and new capabilities. Despite lackluster levels of product innovation showcased at CES, Circana tech analyst Ben Arnold and audio analyst Ashley McCann are optimistic about opportunities in kitchen, home and audio for growth in the year ahead. Highlights: While artificial intelligence was the buzzword at CES, AI hardware was harder to find. Chatbots in ca...
Jan 24, 2024•33 min•Ep. 146
Within the complex arena of marketing mix, linear TV and connected TV are viewed separately. Currently, CTV is having its moment, surpassing linear TV in return on ad spend. Circana’s Susan Kelly, solutions design, global solutions delivery and Kelly Dunham, delivery director, talk about execution and measurement of success for both approaches and the increasing value of targeting that is giving CTV its shine. Highlights: Linear TV offers lower cost-per-impressions and provides a broader reach t...
Jan 23, 2024•26 min•Ep. 145
The pandemic put the breaks on a lot of consumer tech innovation, so anticipation is building for CES 2024, when many companies will display their latest and greatest. Ben Arnold, Circana’s executive director, industry analyst, Consumer Technology, provides examples of innovation that go beyond tech gadgets and shares what he hopes to see at the show. Highlights: From autonomous vehicles to drug discovery, artificial intelligence is making headlines. How will open-AI positively impact the daily ...
Dec 20, 2023•20 min•Ep. 144
Traditionally in the U.S., the day after Thanksgiving is Black Friday, which moves holiday shopping into high gear. While doorbusters have dwindled, brands and retailers work to lure shoppers with deals and experiences that set the tone for holiday sales. Circana’s Joe Derochowski, vice president and industry advisor, home and home improvement, and Ben Arnold, executive director, industry analyst, consumer technology, weigh in on Black Friday week results and discuss how their industries can cla...
Dec 01, 2023•31 min•Ep. 143
As middle-of-the-road grocery retail continues to get squeezed, reaching consumers before they make decisions becomes critical. In this Fresh Pulse episode, Jonna Parker, team lead, Circana’s Fresh Foods Group, and Anne-Marie Roerink, president of 210 Analytics, share strategies retailers can use to highlight their points of differentiation, starting with elevating outside-the-store marketing. Retailers’ focus on in-store execution ignores pre-tailing, when consumers make their decisions of wher...
Nov 27, 2023•27 min•Ep. 142
Despite a forecasted sales decline of 4% - 5% through 2024, sales of small appliances remain elevated from pre-pandemic levels. To buck the negative trend, marketers should focus equally on messaging and innovation. Joe Derochowski, Circana’s vice president and industry advisor, Home and Home Improvement, shares his secret sauce for picking holiday winners and identifying opportunities for growth throughout the year. Highlights: The replacement cycle for many small appliances may shrink from the...
Nov 09, 2023•27 min•Ep. 141
Both the economy and the replenishment cycle of products are negatively impacting the consumer technology industry. Paul Gagnon, Circana’s consumer technology industry advisor, shares his outlook for the coming holiday season and how he hopes the industry is preparing for the time when consumers will be spending again. Moving to a new home is a great motivator for tech purchases, but high mortgage rates, resumption of student loan payments and high credit card interest rates are all weighing dow...
Nov 02, 2023•33 min•Ep. 140
Anne-Marie Roerink, president of 210 Analytics, talks turkey – and economic pressures – with Circana’s Joan Driggs. Times are tough and while it’s critical to be realistic about economic pressures, it’s also an opportunity to dig deeper opportunities to connect with shoppers. Highlights: When facing economic challenges, consumers revert to routines to avoid buyer's remorse, even with food items. Retailer and manufacturers have an opportunity to lean into the small celebrations that consumers emb...
Nov 01, 2023•27 min•Ep. 139
To achieve growth, companies strive to predict what the consumer is likely to do in both the near term and long term. Optimal forecasting, according to Lance Goodridge, Circana’s executive vice president of Analytics and Insights, will fit with current performance, include appropriate and predictable causal factors, and be within the bounds of company objectives. No small feat. Highlights include: While there will always be situations that can’t be predicted, like an epidemic, the right mix of c...
Oct 24, 2023•34 min•Ep. 138
The unique value proposition of frozen foods is not getting the attention it deserves. Based on her webinar, Icy Hot Insights: Frozen Trends, Sally Lyons Wyatt, executive vice president and Practice Leader, Circana, outlines the many definitions of value that frozen addresses. Highlights. Heavy frozen entrée buyers account for 36% more restaurant trips than the average customer. Frozen can compete on restaurant quality, cuisine type, and flavor experience, quickly and in the comfort of your own ...
Oct 11, 2023•20 min•Ep. 137
In this Fresh Pulse episode, Jonna Parker, team lead, Circana’s Fresh Foods Group, highlights consumer purchasing behavior in the meat department. Promotions aren’t seeing expected lifts, purchases are designed for minimal waste, and it’s often social platforms and digital retail apps that are guiding shoppers. Highlights: More consumers are using retail apps to plan shopping and load deals to their loyalty cards. As shoppers visit fewer stores, being part of the consideration set is critical. Y...
Sep 25, 2023•26 min•Ep. 136
As inflation continues to press consumers, volume sales are down across food and beverage. Amid economic headwinds and a return to pre-pandemic activity levels, consumer behaviors are changing, but we are not consuming less. Circana thought leaders David Portalatin and Alastair Steel explain how shifting behaviors are illustrating new patterns in consumption across retail and foodservice. Highlights: Food inflation might be easing, but we’re still paying around 30% more for retail food and bever...
Sep 13, 2023•27 min•Ep. 135
Circana has undertaken an extensive audit of America’s kitchens, recording what’s in our pantries and refrigerators, and inventorying appliances, cookware and utensils. Findings, found in the new report, Inside America’s Kitchens, reveal that we’re stocking far fewer food items than in 2020, yet we’re making good use of tools in our meal prep. Darren Seifer, Circana Food & Beverage Industry Analyst, shares insights into behavioral changes and generational differences. Highlights: With the in...
Sep 13, 2023•28 min•Ep. 134
Inflation may be easing, but consumers are still paying dramatically higher prices than two years ago, and face increasing pressure resulting from the additional SNAP benefits that expired earlier this year, forthcoming student loan repayments and increasing credit card debt. Still, consumers of all household incomes are finding affordable escapes or rewards and easy entertaining ideas, courtesy of fresh foods. In this Fresh Pulse episode, Jonna Parker, principal of Circana’s Fresh Center of Exc...
Aug 25, 2023•27 min•Ep. 133
Kristen McClean, executive director, industry analyst, Circana Books & Entertainment, describes books as “ideas wrapped up for sale.” When we study the books people buy, we learn about their thoughts and their shifting attitudes over time. This understanding helps us better meet changing consumer preferences. Highlights: Books reveal the radical changes that are taking place as we find our post-pandemic normal, including a return to work, experiential travel, and increasing interest in physi...
Aug 11, 2023•23 min•Ep. 132
Easing inflation is making headlines, but consumers remain challenged by high prices. In this Fresh Pulse episode, Jonna Parker, principal of Circana’s Fresh Center of Excellence, and Anne-Marie Roerink, president of 210 Analytics, discuss consumer behavior, macroeconomic challenges, and why plus-one purchases are undervalued. Highlights: Consumers are on the hunt for deals and will shop across multiple stores to find them. While trips were up, baskets were down around five units per trip in Jun...
Aug 01, 2023•23 min•Ep. 131
Consumer tech purchases for school, work, and entertainment were high during the pandemic. Tech items also have a long lifecycle, with replacements occurring on average every four years. The net result is a sluggish consumer tech industry in 2023. Circana’s Mike Crosby, executive director, industry advisor for commercial and consumer technology, and Paul Gagnon, vice president, industry advisor, consumer technology, share their outlook on the consumer tech market for the remainder of 2023 and in...
Jul 11, 2023•28 min•Ep. 130
Inflation is high, which might limit discretionary spending and travel for many. Still, it’s summer and consumers are making the most of pandemic investments made in outdoor spaces, grills, and smokers. Now is the time for retailers to rewrite their summer playbook and merchandise for a new generation. Learn some tips and tricks from Jonna Parker, principal of Circana’s Fresh Center of Excellence and Anne-Marie Roerink, president of 210 Analytics. Highlights: Meat might still be king of the gril...
Jul 05, 2023•29 min•Ep. 129
Innovation is a foundational attribute of Circana, so its sponsorship of The Sweets & Snacks Expo’s Most Innovative New Product Awards makes perfect sense. Sally Lyons Wyatt, Circana’s executive vice president and practice leader of client insights, and Anne-Marie Roerink, president of 210 Analytics, share insights on the winning trends and attributes. Highlights: Sweets and snacks are often an impulse purchase, so innovation in this area is particularly important. Older consumers look for i...
Jun 20, 2023•24 min•Ep. 128
The merger of IRI and NPD ― now Circana ― brings together data and expertise from 20 industries, including CPG, general merchandise, and foodservice. These combined resources across 30 shopping channels, hundreds of retailers, and more than 1,200 categories enable Complete Wallet™, the most complete view of what, where, how, and when consumers buy. Patty Altman and Michelle Bennett, executive vice presidents of Consumer and Shopper Insights at Circana, describe the opportunities Complete Wallet ...
Jun 12, 2023•24 min•Ep. 127
CPG retail is feeling the impact of tumbling consumer confidence. Ongoing inflation and anticipation of a recession have consumers pulling back on stock-up trips and instead shifting to quick trips and sticking to their shopping lists. In this Fresh Pulse episode, Jonna Parker, principal, Fresh Center of Excellence at Circana and Anne-Marie Roerink, president of 210 Analytics, share proven strategies that inspire shoppers and drive loyalty. 40% of shoppers report combatting inflation by stretchi...
May 30, 2023•29 min•Ep. 126
Why, where, and when people drive changed dramatically during the pandemic. Many of those shifts are proving sticky — with big implications for the CPG and retail industries. In this podcast, Circana’s Nathan Shipley shares insights on the impacts these changes are having on the auto aftermarket. He also explores how remote work and consumer mobility trends are affecting CPG consumption and how shifts in local and distance travel could change retail. Highlights: Working from home has meant more ...
May 22, 2023•35 min•Ep. 125
Insights that are anything but skin deep. Circana’s Larissa Jensen, vice president and beauty industry advisor, describes the power of Circana’s Complete Beauty™ capabilities, including a full view of mass and prestige sales and consumer behavior across skincare, makeup, hair and fragrance. Highlights: A majority of beauty sales occur in brick-and-mortar stores, given the experiential nature of products like color cosmetics and fragrance. But the technical side of beauty, including key ingredien...
May 19, 2023•32 min•Ep. 124
Circana’s Don Unser, president of thought leadership and Marshal Cohen, chief industry advisor for the retail industry, share observations and insights into the nearly $3 trillion U.S. retail landscape. Tapping into Circana’s Complete Store™ measurement of online and offline sales across CPG, general merchandise and foodservice, retailers, manufacturers and operators will learn how consumer behaviors are impacting shopping today, and how they can plan for what comes next. Highlights: Consumers v...
May 10, 2023•36 min•Ep. 123
As consumers wrestle with inflation and resume busy lifestyles, it’s critical to stay ahead of their shifting consumption trends. Circana now provides the most complete view of the $1.5 trillion CPG retail and foodservice landscape in the U.S. — from supply chain through consumption — so you can unlock business growth. Circana’s Joan Driggs, Vice President of Content and Thought Leadership and David Portalatin, Senior Vice President and Industry Advisor, Food and Foodservice, highlight the clari...
Apr 11, 2023•24 min•Ep. 122
Volume is down more than 4% across the store in February, but a little less so in fresh departments. Despite the dim outlook, Jonna Parker, principal of Circana’s Fresh Center of Excellence, and Anne-Marie Roerink, president of 210 Analytics, highlight some bright spots in fresh and share some creative promo strategies they’ve seen, as well as some valuable insights on pricing. Key takeaways: Fresh – and especially the meat department – is a three-legged stool for 2023: affordability, permissibi...
Mar 24, 2023•30 min•Ep. 121
Snacking is a consumer barometer for mood, behavior or even how busy we are. While snacking helped us cope or stay entertained during the pandemic, now it reflects our return to active lifestyles. Darren Seifer, food and beverage industry analyst, shares insights on snacking trends, how different generations approach snacking and opportunities for snacking success. Key takeaways: We snack differently depending on age. The youngest consumers’ snacking is controlled by their parents, who are looki...
Feb 28, 2023•21 min•Ep. 120
Retailers and their CPG partners need to pull out all the stops in 2023 to acknowledge and support shoppers as they work to balance health, time and budgets. Promotional creativity and operational excellence should be foundational in building trust with shoppers. Jonna Parker, principal of IRI’s Fresh Center of Excellence, and IRI partner Anne-Marie Roerink, president of 210 Analytics, offer up strategies for winning in grocery in 2023 and beyond. Key takeaways: Jonna Parker warns that “when you...
Feb 22, 2023•27 min•Ep. 119
