Matter Communications has shared findings from its 2024 Food and Beverage Trends survey. The report of more than 1,000 U.S. consumers uncovered insights into popular food and beverage trends on social media, grocery shopping habits and preferences for healthier and more sustainable choices.
The survey revealed the following:
- Eighty-five percent of consumers have either researched, purchased or considered purchasing a product or service after seeing friends, family or influencers post about it. This marks a 4 percent increase since the 2023 Matter influencer survey.
- Also, for back-to-back years, consumers are most interested in seeing and acting on influencer content about food and beverages (29 percent) followed by health and wellness (23 percent).
- Seventy-five percent of respondents are either somewhat or very likely to try a viral food or beverage trend after seeing it on social media.
So, what’s the secret sauce for generating the perfect food and beverage content to reach the right audiences?
- Consumers stated their favorite content to engage with is recipes and how-tos (40 percent);
- Nineteen percent preferring snack hacks and healthy swaps; and
- Mid-sized influencers with 10,000 -1 million followers are most likely (42 percent) to make consumers consider purchasing food and beverage products after seeing them promoted on their social media feeds.
“With consumers constantly scrolling social media channels like Instagram, TikTok and Pinterest for food and drink inspiration, it’s so important for brands to combine authentic, diverse voices and tastemakers with the right mix of paid and organic content to maximize reach,” said Matt Mendolera-Schamann, EVP of consumer PR and leader of diversity and inclusion at Matter.
“Generating ‘snackable’ content that can quickly influence purchase intent is what’s really going to help brands break through the noise – and we have seen that when managing our own clients’ social media and influencer campaigns.”
Healthier and sustainable choices
Ninety-four percent of consumers said it is either extremely important (51 percent) or somewhat important (43 percent) to be able to find healthier choices when purchasing food and beverage products.
One trend that the Food and Beverage Trends survey found is having a moment is healthier beverage alternatives. Forty-four percent of consumers say they’re likely to incorporate healthier sodas/sparkling beverages that provide gut health support or enhanced water with electrolytes into their daily routine.
When asked to choose the three most important nutritional attributes when shopping for food and beverage products, the top choices were: low sugar (64 percent), protein-packed (58 percent) and low carbs (52 percent).
When it comes to sustainable food and beverages, consumers indicated that sustainable packaging is most important (41 percent), followed by regenerative agriculture (20 percent).
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Home-cooked meals are in, with a dash of dining out
- Most consumers (56 percent) indicated they’re more likely to buy food and beverage products in-store compared to online:
- Nineteen percent are more likely to buy food and beverage products online; and
- Twenty-five percent are more likely to shop an equal combination of in-store and online.
When asked about their two most common weekly dining habits, consumers’ top answers were:
- Buying food and beverages in-store to cook at home (74 percent);
- Dining out at a local restaurant (38 percent); and
- Fast food from a drive-thru (more than 35 percent).
Consumers are also seeking options that will fill them up but won’t break the bank as they continue to grapple with inflation. Forty-five percent said affordable price point is the most important attribute when purchasing food and beverage products.
“People want to get behind food and beverages that not only offer value, but that they can feel good about putting in their bodies,” said Mandy Mladenoff, president of Matter.
“Whether they’re stocking up at their local market to prepare a home-cooked meal, indulging on-the-go or even embracing home delivery, each consumer’s journey is likely to include a combination of online and offline interactions. Brands should recognize that need to not only be nimble and adapt to evolving shopping behaviors, but to also embrace an omnichannel communications and marketing approach.”
