The Food Retail 2022 Annual Report analyses the trends that mark the development of packaged consumer goods

The propensity to save is driving the distribution world, but it is not the only trend. This can be seen from the analysis of the dominant trends in consumer-packaged goods over the last year published in the 2022 edition of the annual report on Retail prepared by the magazine FOOD.

THE PREMIUM TREND
Based on IRI data for 2021, in fact, the search for value is the other prevalent trend. “Our monitoring – says Gianpaolo Costantino, economist and IRI consultant – reveals a strong premiumization of purchases, that is, they record a clear willingness of consumers to look for products characterized by high rates of quality and service or by specific and distinctive characteristics”.

The proof comes from the numbers: healthcare has, for example, continued its run, as shown by the trends achieved by sports nutrition, with a 30% jump since the beginning of 2021, and by the now wide range of gluten free products, with sales increases ranging from +5% to +50%.

The main trends that already emerged before the outbreak of the health emergency have not been affected by the Covid pandemic”.

In packaged mass consumption, therefore, two opposing and at the same time complementary souls coexist: on the one hand, the search for convenience, which mostly benefits the discount stores; and on the other hand, the quest for value, where mainstream retail is the main beneficiary .

A combination that promises to bear fruit in retailer accounts in the near future.