Dive Brief:
- In anticipation of consumers' annual Super Bowl grocery shopping spree, Clavis Insight analyzed how top snack and beverage brands perform on the websites of leading online grocery retailers AmazonFresh, Peapod, Wal-Mart and Target, according to a news release. The e-commerce analytics provider ranked the retailer's snacks and soft drink categories based on search, availability/assortment and customer reviews.
- Across the four online grocery sites, Coca-Cola performed best in terms of beverage search, delivering 10% of first page search results, with Tostitos coming in at 9% for snack searches. For beverage availability, Zevia won with 86% of its product assortment available for delivery. For snack availability, Peapod's private label won with 96% availability — though many of the products are healthy, and unlikely to be top of mind for consumers shopping for Super Bowl fare.
- For consumer ratings and reviews, brands were compared across both snack and beverage categories. Diet Coke came out on top with 84% positive reviews, with Lays coming in second (75%) and Dr. Pepper third (72%).
Dive Insight:
For many consumers, the food served at a Super Bowl party is as big of an event as the game itself. The American sports celebration is a day of indulgence, and party hosts flood grocery stores every year looking for the best (and most indulgent) snack foods, beverages and desserts to treat their guests.
With the continued rise of online grocery, a growing number of shoppers will purchase their party snacks online. More and more consumers are turning to their mobile devices to make their grocery purchases thanks to a surge of retailer apps, while many rely on services like Wal-Mart's click and collect for their groceries.
The National Retail Federation estimates that Americans will spend $14.7 billion on food, apparel and other products in preparation for the Super Bowl — with 70% of that spending going toward food and beverages, according to Grocery Headquarters.
Growing consumer preference for healthy, natural food could also shape this year's Super Bowl purchases, though many shoppers leave their concerns over processed foods and artificial colors at the door when it comes time to chow down during events like the Super Bowl. That's not to say that shoppers won't buy healthier alternatives to snacking staples if they are convenient and readily available, such as swapping chips and dip for fresh-made guacamole or hummus and veggies.
In light of consumer interest in healthy, online offerings, Peapod's private label brand's outstanding online availability could pay off. Though many of the online grocer's snack items consist of dried fruit, granola mixes and organic crackers, its pretzel, dip, ice cream and popcorn offerings could perform well at a Super Bowl party.
Traditional junk food will still likely reign supreme, however. Coca-Cola, Tostitos, Diet Coke and Lays products are beloved for their sugary and salty indulgence factors, as reflected by Clavis Insights' findings. With best-performing search, availability and consumer reviews, these food brand giants leave little room for smaller or healthier brands to run a trick play.