PLANO, Texas, May 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Memorial Day
kicks off an anticipated 'breakout summer' as consumers catch up on
activities they missed out on last year, and however and wherever
consumers are celebrating, snacks will be plentiful.
Salty snacks is the No. 1 food contributor to sales growth at
retail and Frito-Lay is ready to meet the snacking demand.
Frito-Lay's latest U.S. Snack Index1, a poll
focused on consumers' snacking habits, found that eight in 10 (80
percent) indicated they have already made plans for Memorial Day,
including many activities outside the house like attending a
barbecue, spending time at the park, visiting the beach, traveling
or playing outdoor sports. The results are a drastic difference to
2020 data where 82 percent of consumers noted they planned to stay
at home alone for the holiday. Additionally, 50 percent of
vaccinated adults said they plan to spend time with people outside
of their household for Memorial Day.
Regardless of consumers' Memorial Day plans, the Snack Index
found that snacks remain essential to summer. Eight in 10 cite
summer snacks as a staple of the season (84 percent) or are
essential to moments they enjoy (80 percent).
"Overall, the home continues to be central for snacking and
gatherings; however, as the world reopens and vaccinations
continue, consumers are venturing out again," said Mike Del Pozzo, chief customer officer,
Frito-Lay North America. "With salty
snacks being the No. 1 food contributor to sales growth at retail,
Frito-Lay is ready to meet consumer snacking demand wherever they
snack."
Additional market trends and U.S. Snack Index highlights
show:
Both in-person leisure and everyday activities this summer are
coming back – but some pandemic behaviors are here to stay.
- Consumers are returning to in-person shopping and dining at an
accelerated pace – from drug stores, to convenience, to big-box
retailers and quick-service restaurants.
- More people are getting snacks in-person at the grocery store
(a 14-point increase from 2020). One-third (35 percent) are picking
up snacks at convenience stores – an area that has seen a large
uptick as consumers get out more.
- But, eCommerce is here to stay as consumers are now used to
purchases at the push of a button. Frito-Lay anticipates eCommerce
to double by 2025 and online snack sales are up approximately 73
percent year-over-year.
Consumers are trying both new snacks and bold flavors, but
the classics remain a steady favorite.
- When choosing a summer snack, the most important thing to
consumers is convenience or having tried-and-true favorites (89
percent).
- Chips are the top snack to stock up on for nearly all summer
activities and two in three say they prefer to stick
with the classic, traditional flavors this summer.
- However, Americans are getting more adventurous compared to
last year, with people preferring new, spicy and bold flavors (25
percent in 2020 vs. 32 percent in 2021).
- This is exponentially higher among Millennials and Gen Z, with
45 percent saying they prefer new, spicy and bold flavors this
summer.
Snacking habits and summer plans vary across the United States.
- More than a quarter of people in Los
Angeles (29 percent), Baltimore/D.C. (27 percent) and Houston (26 percent) say they expect to snack
more this summer compared to a typical, pre-pandemic summer.
- Summer activities differ across markets as the world begins to
open up. Los Angeles shows strong
interest in spending more time among other people at restaurants,
sporting events and concerts, while Dallas shows interest in spending more time
outdoors this summer (63 percent).
"The pandemic has caused companies to find creative ways to meet
consumer snacking demand," said Elizabeth
Avery, president & CEO, SNAC International, the global
trade association representing the snack food industry. "We have
seen drastic shifts in consumer preferences and habits – from the
flavors and types of snacks consumers choose to how snacks are
making it to their doorstep. As we approach Memorial Day and
beyond, we can expect some behaviors learned in the pandemic to
become a mainstay."
For more information, visit FritoLay.com/SnackIndex.
1Survey Methodology
This poll was conducted on April 28,
2021 – April 30, 2021 among a
national sample of 2,199 Adults. Interviews were conducted online
and the data were weighted to approximate a target sample of Adults
based on age, educational attainment, gender, race, and region.
Results from the full survey have a margin of error of plus or
minus 2 percentage points.
About Frito-Lay North
America
Frito-Lay North America is the $18
billion convenient foods division of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:
PEP), which is headquartered in Purchase, N.Y. Learn more
about Frito-Lay at the corporate
website, https://www.fritolay.com/ and on
Twitter http://www.twitter.com/fritolay.
About PepsiCo
PepsiCo products are enjoyed by
consumers more than one billion times a day in more than 200
countries and territories around the world. PepsiCo generated more
than $70 billion in net revenue in
2020, driven by a complementary food and beverage portfolio that
includes Frito-Lay, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Quaker, Tropicana and
SodaStream. PepsiCo's product portfolio includes a wide range of
enjoyable foods and beverages, including 23 brands that generate
more than $1 billion each in
estimated annual retail sales.
Guiding PepsiCo is our vision to Be the Global Leader in
Convenient Foods and Beverages by Winning with Purpose. "Winning
with Purpose" reflects our ambition to win sustainably in the
marketplace and embed purpose into all aspects of our business
strategy and brands. For more information,
visit www.pepsico.com
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SOURCE Frito-Lay North
America