Hunkering Down: How American Consumer Habits Are Shifting

As we round the one month mark of being “on pause” and look to the month ahead, we are beginning to settle into the “new normal.” Last month, millions of Americans rushed to grocery stores to stock up on essential and shelf stable goods like canned beans, rice, paper goods and toiletries, leaving shelves bare. We also saw more consumers than ever before flood online grocery sites to stock up on those same essentials. Orders sent to grocers within Chicory’s shoppable recipe network grew nearly +123% year-over-year. 

As Easter came around as the first holiday during this pandemic, orders for holiday-friendly fare grew at tremendous rates, indicating that shoppers were continuing to turn to online grocery services beyond the initial “panic buying” phase.

Similarly, our network’s recipe traffic grew, surpassing Thanksgiving, the biggest occasion for recipes of the year. With 265% growth in recipe engagement year-over-year around Easter, it became clear that recipes are one of the primary pieces of content that Americans are turning to as they celebrate while staying home.

As for what’s next, we anticipate high levels in grocery orders to sustain themselves, coming down a bit from Easter, but remaining much higher overall compared to past months as shoppers use online grocery services for their necessary items. 

Next, we’ll see “hunkering down” behavior wherein consumers will turn to their well-stocked pantries and get creative with all of the items they’ve stockpiled.

“We anticipate that consumers will continue to turn to recipes for inspiration on how to use up their basic canned and dried ingredients. This pattern was evident during the week leading up to Easter, as our recipe network saw its highest traffic day in the past twelve months, including Thanksgiving,” said Joey Petracca, Chicory’s COO and Co-Founder.

He continued, “during Easter weekend, there was particular interest in classic holiday comfort foods like green bean casseroles and scalloped potatoes, which combine both fresh produce and pantry goods. This pattern will continue, with large spikes around spring and summer holidays like the Fourth of July, as consumers hunker down at home and celebrate special occasions while adapting to this ‘new normal.’”

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