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

Return hassle a big concern for online shoppers

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.)

Consumers are dubious about brands' environmental claims

According to Ipsos' 2025 People and Climate Change report, only one in five (22%) across 32 countries trusts environmental claims made by companies about their products and services. (Read more.)

Most Americans expect the prices of a variety of goods will increase

Most Americans say prices on a variety of goods will increase due to tariffs, while just one in five say they have seen grocery or gasoline costs go down in the last three months. Two in five say they have had to delay making a purchase because they didn’t have the money (39%), 21% say they have been unable to pay a bill on time, and 16% say they had to go into debt or use retirement savings to make ends meet (16%) over the last three months. These levels are roughly in line with previous Ipsos polls conducted in late 2024 and early 2025. (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.)

Everyone thinks grocery prices are higher — but especially older Americans

A majority of Americans say they’ve encountered higher prices across grocery categories, from fresh produce to meat and dairy, but older consumers feel especially pinched. 71% of Americans aged 18 to 34 say they’re paying more for meat, compared with 90% of those over 55 — a 19-point gap. When asked about their total grocery bill, there’s a 26-point gap between the youngest and oldest Americans. (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.)

Majority of Americans, across party, feel obesity is a result of ultra-processed foods and beverages

The public is clear-eyed and decisive about what at least one driver of obesity is: processed foods and beverages. Most Americans, regardless of political party, feel processed foods are a driver of obesity. (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