Even During A Pandemic, New Year's Resolutions To Improve Health & Manage Weight Still Resonate -- Though Not As Powerfully
Catalina Data Also Reveals 40% Decline in Alcoholic Beverage Sales During “Dry January”
ST. PETERSBURG, FL, Jan. 29, 2021 – As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect shopping behavior nationwide, consumers still saw the beginning of the New Year as a chance to recommit to a new round of weight-loss and health-related resolutions, albeit without the same level of commitment demonstrated going into 2020, per buyer intelligence leader Catalina, which compared retail sales on a dollar basis for the first three weeks of 2021 to sales during the last half of December 2020, as well as to the same period a year ago.
During the first three weeks of Jan. 2021, sales of alcoholic beverages declined by 40% at grocery and drug stores across the U.S. compared to the last two weeks of Dec. 2020. While this likely underscores the continued popularity of “Dry January,” during which an estimated one third of American adults now pledge to give up drinking beer, wine and cocktails for the entire month, a year ago sales of alcoholic beverages had declined by 46% during the first three weeks of Jan. 2020 -- showing how COVID-19 continues to impact shopper behaviors and purchase decisions.
Those categories with the largest sales increases likely due to New Year’s weight loss resolutions and/or a desire to stay healthy during the COVID-19 pandemic, included:
CATEGORY | $ Sales Change for 3 Weeks Ending 1/23/21 vs. Last 2 Weeks of Dec. 2020 |
$ Sales Change for 3 Weeks Ending 1/23/20 vs. Last 2 Weeks of Dec. 2019 |
---|---|---|
Rice/Popcorn Cakes | +66% | +74% |
Diet Measured Meals/Snack Bars | +62% | +76% |
Frozen Dinner Entrees/Nutritional | +58% | +76% |
Pediatric Nutritional Bars | +57% | +73% |
Adult Nutrition Bars | +38% | +46% |
Appetite Suppressants | +36% | +34% |
During the first three weeks of 2021, sales of oil & omega dietary supplements increased by 25% (compared to +26% in 2020), adult nutrition drinks increased by 26% (compared to +31% in 2020), and multivitamins grew by 20% (compared to +26% in 2020).
While Dry January has led to an overall 40% decline in total alcohol beverage sales through Jan. 23, 2021, some categories were impacted more than others. Notably, the decline in Jan. 2021 is not as sharp as Jan. 2020:
CATEGORY | $ Sales Change for 3 Weeks Ending 1/23/21 vs. Last 2 Weeks of Dec. 2020 |
$ Sales Change for 3 Weeks Ending 1/23/20 vs. Last 2 Weeks of Dec. 2019 |
---|---|---|
Spirits | -47% | -53% |
Premixed Cocktails/Coolers | -45% | -57% |
Imported Beer/Ale | -37% | -46% |
Alcoholic Ciders | -36% | -45% |
Imported Table/Still Wine | -34% | -39% |
Domestic Table/Still Wine | -32% | -38% |
Domestic Beer/Ale | -29% | -35% |
“The unprecedented repository of data in our Buyer Intelligence Database, which captures up to three years of purchase history and more than two billion Universal Product Codes that are scanned daily in the U.S., is like candy to our data scientists and advanced analytics teams. It allows them to segment appropriate shoppers and identify insights into their rapidly shifting behaviors so that our retail and brand customers can target and deliver the most relevant message to them when they’re looking for it – in real time,” said Catalina CMO Marta Cyhan.
About Catalina
Catalina is the market leader in shopper intelligence and highly targeted in-store, TV, and digital media that personalizes the shopper journey. Powered by the world’s richest real-time shopper database, Catalina helps CPG brands, retailers and agencies optimize every stage of media planning, execution and measurement to deliver $6.1 billion in consumer value annually. Catalina has no higher priority than ensuring the privacy and security of the data entrusted to the company and maintaining consumer trust. Catalina has operations in the United States, Costa Rica, Europe and Japan. To learn more, please visit www.catalina.com or follow us on Twitter @Catalina.
Media Contact:
Wally Petersen/Catalina
312-804-3475
wally@wrpcommunications.com