The survey 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:
85% 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% 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%) followed by health and wellness (23%)
75% 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%)
19% preferring snack hacks and healthy swaps
Mid-sized influencers with 10,000 -1,000,000 followers are most likely (42%) 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. 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 & Sustainable Choices in High Demand
Ninety-four percent of consumers said it is either extremely important (51%) or somewhat important (43%) to be able to find healthier choices when purchasing food and beverage products.
One trend having a moment is healthier beverage alternatives:
44% 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%)
Protein-packed (58%)
Low carbs (52%)
When it comes to sustainable food and beverages, consumers indicated that:
sustainable packaging is most important (41%)
followed by regenerative agriculture (20%)
Home Cooked Meals Are In, With a Dash of Dining Out
Most consumers (56%) indicated they’re more likely to buy food and beverage products in-store compared to online:
19% are more likely to buy food and beverage products online
25% 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%)
Dining out at a local restaurant (38%)
But that doesn’t mean convenience is out of the question, with over 35% of respondents most common choice being fast food from a drive-thru
Consumers are also seeking options that will fill them up but won’t break the bank as we continue to grapple with inflation:
45% 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.”
