ShelfNow shares how the impact of economic and social factors such as rising inflation and the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as cultural changes such as the shift to vegetarianism will impact consumers’ purchasing decisions in the future.
Increase in sustainable shopping
Internal data provided by ShelfNow reveals that the trend of sustainable shopping in the food and beverage sector is here to stay and growing in momentum. Opting for a plant-based diet on occasions can result in a reduction of an individual’s carbon footprint.
Over the past three years, ShelfNow has seen an average increase of 420.37% in sales of vegetarian and vegan products stocked on the platform. Similarly, ONS data reinforces this shift in preference as consumers are increasingly searching for vegetarian and vegan produce as well as sustainable and ethical produce.
The Office for National Statistics reveals that the 2022 basket saw the first addition of meat-free sausages which reflects the rise of veganism and vegetarianism in today's society. Over the coming years, ShelfNow expects that there will likely be more plant-based additions to the basket as more research is conducted into the produce and items consumers consume, as well as the effect they are having on our health and the environment.
More and more vegan options are becoming available as high quality and nutritious products are increasing in demand, which is good news for the producers that ShelfNow intentionally partners with.
The rise in health-driven purchases
In addition to sustainable purchases, ShelfNow shares that there is increasing demand for low and no alcohol as more and more consumers seek out healthier options. Since 2019, when ShelfNow was founded, it has seen an average year-on-year increase in sales within the low and no alcohol sector of 275%.
Furthermore, the ONS shopping basket indicates that sales of high sugar, baked goods such as doughnuts have drastically dropped. The report suggests that this is due to an increase in households embracing healthier cooking habits in response to recent global healthy eating initiatives such as sugar taxes, the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and online food shopping.
As societal awareness of dietary requirements grows and the food and beverage sector is required by law to comply with new legislation such as HFSS regulations and Natasha’s Law, ShelfNow has seen heightened demand on its marketplace for allergen-free products like dairy-free ice cream and gluten-free snacks, in particular, the gluten-free category has led to a 147.05% rise in sales since 2019. Furthermore, sales in the dairy-free category have trebled in popularity over the last three years.
A growing trend for localisation
ONS shopping data reveals that spending in large supermarket chains is down by 4%, an indication that recent Covid-19 lockdowns have encouraged people to seek alternatives and shop locally. This is also supported by a growing desire to support local businesses and buy sustainable products with a low carbon footprint.
Offering a wide selection of artisan and locally produced items, the ShelfNow marketplace supports this trend and has seen increasing interest from its buyers for items produced close to them. In addition, with new strains being placed on food and drink supply chains as a result of the Russia-Ukraine conflict and Brexit post-trading arrangements, ShelfNow predicts that the number of consumers shopping locally will continue to rise over the coming years.
As costs are going up across all stages of the supply chain and economic forecasts are looking ever more challenging for SMEs, shopping locally can become mutually beneficial for local economies amidst rising fuel costs.