Consumers Are Hungry for Viral Food and Beverage Trends, Healthier Choices, According to Matter Survey

Research from agency’s consumer PR + Marketing experts highlights strong opportunities for CPG brands across influencer marketing, in-store and online retail, healthy alternatives and more

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Matter Communications — a Brand Elevation Agency that integrates PR, marketing and creative services — today revealed findings from its 2024 Food & Beverage Trends survey. 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.

Influencer Content = Recipe for Success

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,” said Matt Mendolera-Schamann, Executive Vice President, Consumer PR, and Leader of Diversity and Inclusion at Matter. “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.”

To learn more about Matter’s consumer PR and marketing team, as well as their client work in the food and beverage space, please visit the Consumer page on Matter’s website.

Companies looking to include Matter in any open or future Request for Proposals (RFPs) or explore a potential partnership are encouraged to contact Matter to receive a custom program quote.

Research Methodology

The 2024 Matter Food & Beverage Trends Survey was fielded by a third-party provider on May 31^st, 2024. The online survey research collected responses from over 1,100 U.S. consumers.

About Matter Communications

Matter is a Brand Elevation Agency that integrates PR, marketing and creative services into campaigns that inspire action and build value. Founded in 2003, with offices spanning North America, Matter works with the world’s most innovative companies across healthcare, high-technology, consumer technology and consumer markets. For more information, visit https://www.matternow.com.