The COVID-19 global pandemic had a significant impact on chicken consumer behavior, shifting sales from foodservice to retail and driving interest in online shopping. Don’t expect all of these trends to be long-lasting.
“While some consumer habits changed dramatically during the pandemic (cooking at home all the time, buying groceries online), only some consumers will keep those habits. We won't ever go back to ‘where we were before,’ but we also won't be at the same place we were a year ago,” Lynn Dornblaser, director of innovation and insight, Mintel, said.
“Consumers are coming back into grocery stores, especially for those products they want to see and touch before buying (like chicken and other proteins). And while consumers are enjoying going out to eat, they are still going to be eating more meals at home than they were before.”
Dornblaser will discuss how pandemic-driven changes in how, where and what consumers eat have impacted retail and what to expect going forward post pandemic at the 2021 edition of Chicken Marketing Summit.
Make plans to attend the 2021 edition of Chicken Marketing Summit scheduled for July 18-20, 2021 at the Omni Amelia Island Resort in Fernandina Beach, Florida. Registration is now open.
Continued focus on health, animal welfare and sustainability
Trends such as health, animal welfare and sustainability – already a focus of consumers before COVID-19 – will remain in the limelight post-pandemic, Dornblaser said.
“A trend that we've seen for years in this space, which perhaps came into greater focus last year, is that of health and ‘naturalness.’ This will only continue in the years to come, with an added focus on understanding what is in the products consumers are buying,” she added.
“Poultry products in general are seen by consumers as healthy, affordable and good for everyday – key attributes for while we were all at home, cooking meals every day. Those attributes will continue to serve chicken well as we go back to work and to school, allowing consumers to still get a great meal on the table that the family will like and is affordable.”
Attend the 2021 Chicken Marketing Summit
The 2021 Chicken Marketing Summit will be held at the Omni Amelia Island Resort in Fernandina Beach, Florida on July 18-20. This year, the conference will shine a light on what consumers will be looking for in the post-pandemic world and how poultry marketers can find success in the marketplace.For more information and to attend, visit: www.wattglobalmedia.com/chickenmarketingsummit/.
View our continuing coverage of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
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