Last year (ie BC – before Covid-19), I had worked on a number of food trend projects for big brands that were struggling as their core product was going against the grain of our lovely exciting trends. Two sectors in particular stand out: biscuits and breakfast cereals.
Biscuits? Yes, well, they are known to be not very healthy, it’s the obvious snack to cut back on when trying to lose weight and they are, at their heart, a bit old-fashioned: laying out a plate of Rich Tea or digestives is what grannies do when they have people round. And when we eat so much on the go, stuffing a bulky packet isn’t very practical; once opened, what do you do?
But all that changed when we were forced to stay at home. Biscuits are an appealing cupboard staple, they are not expensive, they are comforting (lots of big household brands among them) and lo and behold, sales increased significantly during lockdown. But all that changed when we were forced to stay at home. Biscuits are an appealing cupboard staple, they are not expensive, they are comforting (lots of big household brands among them) and lo and behold, sales increased significantly during lockdown. Everyday biscuits were up 39%, chocolate biscuit bars sales increased 23%, and even crackers peaked as people looked for alternatives to bread.
And cereals? It’s obvious: who has time to eat breakfast? A survey from August 2019 found that 44% of UK consumers regularly refrain from eating in the morning
Cereals benefitted too – if you aren’t commuting, then of course having a nice bowl of something to mark the start of an otherwise potentially long monotonous day becomes big deal. Sales of cereals rose 11% between April and July and Weetabix is ready to make the most of the new opportunity. Its brand investment in 2020 is now up 30% year on year.
How long will this reversal of trends last? Who knows? The Economist has collated Google search traffic for a number of different terms. This analysis shows that interest in some things, such as yeast, spiked but then dipped backed down once lockdown eased (I too was a panic baker). Search traffic for other terms remain at above normal levels, in particular those relating to cooking, exercise and crafts. So it’s still time for a cuppa, a nice biccie and a bit of colouring in….!