Coffee, confectionery, and mushrooms were top-of-mind among retail buyers last year, as they were the most-used keyword searches on RangeMe, the fast-growing product discovery, sourcing and purchasing platform.
Its latest Retail Recap 2022 report highlights trends among the activity of US and international buyers on the platform, including keyword and certification searches, most visited collections, and engagement with products and brands.
“The products buyers are searching for now are those that will be on the shelves in the coming months and years,” said Nicky Jackson, Founder of RangeMe. “By analysing the buyer activity on RangeMe, we get a look at what will be trending next in the fast-moving consumer goods arena.”
Coffee was the most popular keyword for buyers in 2022, garnering 19.4% of all searches, which reflected new trends in the category, including cold brew, fair trade, functional coffee, and coffee accessories. Just behind coffee, representing 18.4% of keyword search terms was Candy, a category that includes some of the top-performing brands on RangeMe based on overall buyer activity and engagement – including views, saves, sample requests, purchases and direct messages.
RangeMe suggested rhe keyword Mushroom is a particularly interesting case. With 18.3% of search volume, it was searched in the context of several different categories across the food and beverage and health and beauty care categories, such as ‘mushroom coffee’ and ‘mushroom supplements’. Known for their versatility and health benefits, mushrooms are being seen as a meat alternative and as an ingredient in beverages, snacks, and nutritional supplements. It’s also an item growing in popularity in the foodservice segment, where it’s used in a variety of menu items.
Other popular search terms included Toys (10.5%), Water (9.6%), Pet (8.3%), Sunscreen (8%) and Candles (7.5%).
Top searches in international markets
Search terms varied among the international markets analysed, with popular UK RangeMe search terms including Porridge (41.1%), Tiles (21.4%), Makeup (19.6%) and Baby (17.9%). For APAC buyers, Salad Dressing was the most popular search (28.6%), followed by Bacon (27.7%), Wet Wipes (23.5%) and Acne (20.2%). In the Netherlands, Lozenges topped buyer searches at 41.5%, followed by Sun Care (27.2%), Keto (19%) and Dog Cookies (12.2%)
Trending Collections on RangeMe
RangeMe’s Collections are groups of brands and products that fit a particular theme. ‘Trending on RangeMe’ and ‘Startup Brands’ are two newly-added Collections on the platform in 2022, created to showcase which brands and products are receiving the most engagement from buyers on RangeMe, and which are new to the CPG market. Since their creation, they continue to be among the most visited Collections on the platform.
The ‘Sustainability’ Collection, which saw visits drop during the pandemic, is now among the most visited as buyers are once again prioritising their sustainability efforts. Among international collections, the ‘Brands from Japan’ Collection was most visited by buyers in the UK and the Netherlands.
