What Grocers Can Expect From Holiday Shoppers

The American consumer is ready to mingle this holiday season, and that means shopping early for their favorite holiday party supplies.

After nearly two years of social distancing, new Inmar Intelligence data show that 82% of consumers said they are planning to have an in-person Thanksgiving celebration in 2021. 

With many consumers looking to celebrate in-person this holiday, it comes as little surprise that they are shopping early for ingredients – 41% have already started shopping for items and one-third of shoppers (34%) have already bought their turkey. The survey also found that consumers are actively seeking out promotions ahead of the holiday grocery shopping season and with supply chain issues top of mind, 80% of consumers are concerned about the turkey supply in stores in 2021. 

In terms of the main dishes that today’s consumers are choosing for their Thanksgiving meal, the survey findings revealed that turkey remains a staple and that 85% plan to purchase a turkey. Alternatively, 66% plan to prepare an alternative “main” dish instead of turkey this year, with 53% planning to prepare chicken as their main protein dish. The side dishes of choice include mashed potatoes (80%), stuffing (63%), green bean casserole (57%) and cranberry sauce (55%) and mac n’ cheese (49%). 

Social media influencers have proven to be an important part of the holiday preparation process for consumers as well: 66% look to these influencers for recipe inspiration and 69% look to social media influencers for decoration inspiration. 

Some additional key findings include: 

• 41% plan to shop for Black Friday and Cyber Monday Deals.
• Of those who plan to take part in Black Friday, 47% will shop online.
• Traveling is not out of the question as well – 52% plan to travel for Thanksgiving.
• Friendsgiving is still a popular event on many people’s event calendar with 81% of respondents saying that they plan to have an in-person Friendsgiving.

“Our new survey finds that today’s consumers are keen to get back together with their friends and family to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday and are already shopping for key ingredients for these meals,” said Holly Pavlika, SVP, corporate marketing. “Whether shoppers are looking to purchase items now or closer to the holiday, one thing remains true: they are still on the look-out for cost-savings. It’s important for brands and retailers to continue to provide this value for their customers as we enter into one of the busiest shopping seasons of the year.”