Retail, food, and beverage: Essential data and insights
Retail, food, and beverage: Essential data and insights

Retail, food, and beverage: Essential data and insights

From subscription services and e-commerce to tariffs and boycotts, the ways we shop and spend are in flux. Here’s Ipsos’ top data and analysis on what you need to know.

From boycotts to BNPL, the ways we shop and spend are in flux. How should retailers navigate inflation (and shrinkflation)? What do people want from the customer experience? And how will tariffs impact consumers? Here’s a look at Ipsos’ top data on what you need to know.

Key takeaways

 

Storage, privacy and a preference for brick-and-mortar are the biggest barriers for retail apps

When asked about what barriers people might have to downloading more retail shopping apps, “I prefer shopping in-store” was the top reason cited (by 41%) followed by “I don’t want more apps/don’t have space” (33%), privacy-related concerns about storing payment information (also 33%) and not wanting companies to have access to their data (30%). In good user experience news, 27% think it’s easy enough to shop without the app.. (Read more.)

Most say they need caffeine to get through the morning (and the afternoon, too) 

Americans need their caffeine. Three in four say it’s needed to get them through the morning. Half say they need it to get through the afternoon. And we drink it at various times and occasions, too. Half say they drink it with meals. Half say they drink it before exercise because it helps their workout. (Read more.)

People think prices for some key goods are falling, others rising

Perception of higher gasoline prices compared to the previous year plummeted by 18 points, dropping from 56% to just 38% now. Perceived dairy inflation saw the largest drop among all food categories; only 58% of Americans believe dairy prices are rising, down from a staggering 82% last year. In what is a zero-sum economy, it’s good that some important prices are dropping (or we think they are) because things like electricity are perceived as stubbornly high. (Read more.)

Americans are here for healthy food additives

Americans are very open to pretty much any and all of their foods becoming more functional. We asked, “many foods add additional health benefits as supplements (i.e., vitamins, fiber, protein, etc.). How important, if at all, is it to you to have those ingredients in the following kinds of foods?” Sizeable majorities were interested in these added benefits in just about every category we asked. (Read more.)

Ingredients for the perfect food: flavor, quality and affordability

Flavor, quality of ingredients, and affordability are Americans' top three periorities for food. But there are some generational differences. Notably, affordability ranks No. 2 for 18- to 34-year-olds. Quality of ingredients way outpaces as the top factor for the 55 and older community at 61% (vs. 50% for overall No. 1, flavor).(Read more.)

People prioritize protein

Broadly, what we eat hasn’t changed much since 2023 when we first asked this. About half try to prioritize organics, and the number of people who say they try to limit the amount of processed foods they eat has stayed stable at 64%. Meanwhile, a majority (57%) put a premium on protein. (Read more.)

Return hassle a big concern for online shoppers

Much has changed since 2021 in terms of prevalence and convenience of online shopping, but our attitudes haven’t shifted much. People don’t have any major concerns – nothing is over 40% – but there is still measurable concern about timing, and damage and the hassle of returns (which we added this wave.) (Read more.)

Gift cards and food growing as popular holiday gifts

It’s holiday shopping season, so we dug through the archives and found this question, which we hadn’t asked since 2021. The big categories are still gift cards and clothing but they showed growth, as did food and beverages. When you recall that only one in four were planning to spend more on gifts this season, and inflation is still a thing, this would seem to indicate people will be stretching their budgets and perhaps buying more, cheaper things (Read more.)

Millennials are more apt to fund their splurges with debt

Millennials are more likely to fund their splurges with debt from credit cards to buy now, pay later plans. They’re also the generation most likely to use savings. Millennials and Gen Z are both also likely to substitute goods, with about one in three saying when they’re looking to splurge, they buy used or downgrade to an off-brand version of a product. (Read more.)

More Americans are cutting back on streaming and repairs

Seven in ten are spending more on food at home and less on dining out and travel. Four in ten have put off a vacation, or a big-ticket purchase like an appliance, car or home renovation. But the growing areas of cutbacks are streaming services (39% have canceled one in the last six months, up from 31% two years ago) and home and car repairs (also 39%, up from 27%). Every income level reports a majority of folks changing at least one behavior – including 60% of the $100K+ households who are making meals in their kitchen more. (Read more.)

The more we know about artificial sweeteners, the less we want to consume them

When we first asked about sweeteners a year ago, agreement was already high among all of these statements and agreement has only gotten higher on most metrics. Many more (84% up from 69%) say they have a good understanding of what a natural vs. artificial sweetener is. And as we’ve learned more, it seems, we are less interested in consuming them. (Read more.)

People trust authenticity and track record for product reviews

When it comes to product reviews, people trust authenticity/transparency, track record, relatability and their deals. Interestingly, despite all the different ways different generations consume content, there are almost no generational splits in this data, although “relatability” and “engaging content” ranked much lower for those 55+. (Read more.)

Fewer are seeing in-store sales

While similarly low numbers (29%) report that prices in stores are lower compared to earlier this year and similarly high numbers (70%) say they think they can find cheaper prices online, some numbers in this battery did shift vs. last year at this time. Most notably, there was a 10-point drop to just 38% saying they see more discounts in stores these days. (Read more.)

More older Americans are saying they tend not to dine in, eat out, or get coffee

Two-thirds of Americans over 55 say they tend not to get coffee at a coffee shop (+16pts vs 2024), compared with 31% of Americans 18-34. 29% say they tend not to have lunch at a sit-down restaurant (+9pts), and half tend not to get lunch from take out or delivery (+13pts). (Read more.)


 

Younger Americans are paying in installments for a wider range of purchases

When we look at Americans in aggregate, the mix of BNPL spending has hardly changed since 2023. But younger Americans use these services for a wider variety of purchases. In June 2025, they were twice as likely as those 55+  to say they’ve paid in installments for clothing, and five times as likely to have paid in installments for groceries. (Read more.)

Fewer Americans think prices are rising

 

Across a range of staples and utilities, fewer people think they are paying higher prices than thought so in late February. On everything — meat, fresh produce, electricity, food at restaurants, and perhaps most importantly gasoline and total grocery bill — we saw declines of roughly 10 points. (Read more.)

When it comes to buying products, price wins

 Price beats brand values. So does quality. And quality beats price. Most (57%) also say that they don’t really care about brands, they just buy stuff they need. However, we know that’s oversimplified: We know it varies a lot based on product categories, for instance, and we that if two products have roughly the same price, all of the other factors will tip the scales. But still good to keep in mind. (Read more.)

American shoppers could be swayed on brand choice — but many say they  aren't seeing relevant ads 

Many Americans say they don’t often buy the brand of product they intended to buy when shopping in-store. That means that brands have a strong opportunity to persuade shoppers and influence their choices in retail environments. But marketers aren’t reaching shoppers where it matters: only one in five Americans say they often see relevant ads when shopping online or in-store. (Read more.)

How tariffs could impact product categories

We tested 12 categories, from large electronics, to snacks, to staples like paper products. In each, more would cut back than stock up. Household categories like dairy, detergents and cleaners, paper products and over-the-counter medications found people saying there would be no impact, they just need to keep buying them even if they cost 10% more. But for items that are more discretionary, at least one in three said they would have to cut back. (Read more.)

It's not easy to boycott, even if you want to

One in four Americans say they have stopped purchasing from a company due to politics or current events. But it turns out, it’s not so easy to boycott. Out of the 26% who have boycotted, 74% say they were successful in reducing or stopping and have stuck to it. But right below that, 61% said they reduced but stopping would be impossible. Another 51% say they tried to reduce or stop but it’s challenging to change patterns. (Read more.)

Democrats are more likely to have stopped purchasing from a company because of politics

Overall, 31% of Americans say they have completely stopped purchasing from a company in the last month because of their stance on politics or current events and 29% say they have reduced spending. But these levels are higher among Democrats. (Read more.)

Consumers say prices are the largest barrier to making more sustainable choices

Around the world, the perception of high prices continue to deter consumers from sustainable spending. (Read more.)

'Buying American' remains popular, but support wavers among Democrats

About six in ten people say that where the products they’re buying are made factors into their decisions often or sometimes, with Republicans being a bit more likely to say that. But since September 2023, the partisan split has widened by 10 points, with Democratic support dipping to 50% (Republicans steady at 75%). Similarly, we see high agreement (64%) and only a slight topline dip (down from 68%) in agreement that American products are better quality. But there’s a 15-point dip in Democratic support there, too. (Read more.)

Three in four think private label products are as good as brand-name goods

Three in four Americans agree that private label products are just as good as brand-name products, according to the Ipsos Consumer Tracker — a finding that reflects an increasingly thrifty American consumer. (Read more.)

Further reading

Webinars

Ipsos capabilities and offers

 

 

Related news