IRI’s latest Consumer Spending Tracker, which analyses trends in key markets during the coronavirus outbreak, shows that in most geographies, sales remain elevated for Home Care and Frozen Food segments. Other areas (both edible and non-edible categories) saw less growth in the past week, particularly in the UK after lapping a strong Easter-week last year.
As stay-at-home orders continue, US shoppers are shopping less frequently, but buying more per trip, increasing stockpiling of essential goods, and shifting to more fresh food in their baskets.
In the US, OTC healthcare, baby care, and water saw the largest stock ups without consistent replenishment, frozen items were stocked and being replenished, and quarantine needs, such as grooming products, emerge in later weeks.
Italy and the UK did not see as much stock up without replenishment behaviour, which could be driven by the speed at which the virus hit the areas or less storage space to hold non-urgent supplies. In the UK, high stock up/high replenishment items (‘necessities’) include soup, dry pasta and noodles, canned meats, deos/personal wash and household paper and vitamins, while in Italy they include basic ingredients, surface cleaners, and tomato derivatives.
The full IRI report can be downloaded here (PDF)
NAM Implications:
- Key is to check your sales vs category performance in the downloaded report…
- …as a source of possible opportunities.
