FMI Releases 2021 U.S. Grocery Shopper Trends Report
FMI – The Food Industry Association is out with its latest U.S. Grocery Shopper Trends report, which highlights the ongoing and future impact of the pandemic on consumer behavior and purchases.
Prepared in partnership with Bellevue, Wash.-based The Hartman Group, Inc., the 2021 edition of this annual report confirms that the events of the past year and a half have reshaped and redirected the marketplace for food retailers. The research points to the surge in at-home meals, the spike in e-commerce and the evolution of health and wellness as the most notable trends.
“Throughout this past year, American grocery consumers have developed a deeper relationship with their kitchens, increased their healthy eating consciousness, and have learned new ways to shop,” summed up Leslie Sarasin, president and CEO of Arlington, Va.-based FMI. “Looking ahead, we expect many of these trends to continue.”
Even as masks come off and the country opens up, consumers are likely to continue to make more meals at home. The new U.S. Grocery Shopper Trends report found that 49% of consumers are cooking or preparing their own meals more now than before the pandemic and 42% say that they “like or love” to shop for groceries.
Many of those groceries and accompanying at-home meals reflect an emphasis on health and wellness. According to the FMI report, the definition of well-being has evolved to encompass many aspects of shopping, cooking and eating.
The accelerated shift to e-commerce is another headlining trend in grocery shopping. The FMI/Hartman Group research found that 64% of all U.S. shoppers have purchased groceries online, and 29% of online shoppers are buying digitally every week.
In addition to sharing data in the new report, FMI is providing insights directly from consumers with video interview snippets on www.FMI.org/GroceryTrends.
