Shoppers seek quick, easy meal solutions
Editor’s note: Maria Arand is director, customer strategy, at 84.51°, a Cincinnati-based insights firm.
Shoppers want to eat more meals using food from home, especially at lunch. As shoppers continue to make cost-conscious purchases, our research highlights a desire for increased food-at-home (FAH) consumption across all meal occasions, with lunch showing the most significant gap between actual and ideal states. This trend has implications for food items/products and the strategies of CPG brands and retailers.
A desire for more food at home
Food-at-home (grocery store or supermarket food purchases) is holding steady as shoppers gravitate toward home-cooked meals to save money. Our data shows that in 2024, a high percentage of shoppers claimed to cook from scratch or with minimal preprepared foods, a trend that has persisted since early 2022 and coincided with a claimed decline in eating out and food delivery. (Figure 1, question: Which of the following, if any, have you done in the past three months to save money?)
In 2025, FAH prices are forecast to grow by 1.6%, while food-away-from-home (FAFH) prices are projected to rise by 3.1%, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service, making this the second year that FAFH inflation outpaces FAH.
The lunch gap: How CPG brands and retailers can meet shoppers’ rising demand for FAH meals
Among all meal occasions, lunch showed the largest gap between actual and ideal FAH consumption. Our survey of 180+ shoppers (fielded from May 17-21, 2024) reveals that while 55% of lunches are currently planned FAH, shoppers ideally want this to be 73%, an 18% increase. This significant gap underscores the potential for food retailers and brands to capture more meal occasions, particularly for lunch.
Notably, 31% of the over 2,000 respondents in our “Customer Knowledge Quarterly” survey said they eat out to socialize with friends and family and 20% do so due to a lack of time to cook. Shoppers are looking for more planned FAH options, especially convenient, easy-to-prepare meal solutions that fit into their busy lifestyles.
The desire for more FAH has several implications for CPG brands and retailers. It highlights the importance of convenience. Busy lifestyles mean that shoppers are seeking ways to reduce the mental effort required for meal planning and preparation. This has led to a growing demand for products and meal solutions that are quick and easy to prepare.
The concept of "freezer heroes" is particularly relevant here. These are meal starters such as frozen dishes that are on-hand, easy to prepare and versatile enough to be customized, such as with fresh ingredients. In fact, anonymized transaction data from 62 million households that shop Kroger stores shows that households often buy frozen foods along with their fresh counterparts. For example, 18% of households only buy fresh chicken, 11% only buy frozen vegetables and 70% buy both products. By offering products that can be quickly transformed into a meal, brands can help shoppers overcome the time and energy barriers of meal preparation.
As more workers return to the office, the constraints of commuting may affect their ability to use food from home for lunch. However, this shift also presents an opportunity for brands and retailers to help shoppers reimagine lunch from home, even when they are not physically there. Innovative meal solutions that can be prepared in advance and easily transported, such as meal kits, prepackaged salads and ready-to-eat options can meet the needs of busy professionals.
Additionally, promoting batch cooking and providing recipes for meals that can be made ahead of time and enjoyed throughout the week can help shoppers maintain their preference for FAH meals. Brands can also emphasize the health and cost benefits of FAH meals, encouraging shoppers to continue prioritizing home-prepared lunches despite their return to the office.
Meeting shoppers’ demands for convenient, budget-friendly meals
Shoppers are seeking convenient, healthy and cost-effective meal solutions. Even as shoppers return to the office in greater numbers, there is an opportunity to innovate and reimagine offerings to meet their needs and preferences. Brands and retailers that can offer innovative solutions to help shoppers save money, time and maximize meals are likely to thrive in this evolving landscape.
Methodology
The total sample size for the “Customer Knowledge Quarterly” survey was 2,270 working-age consumers who shopped at a Kroger store. The survey was fielded from July 9-16, 2024.