Dive Brief:
- A majority of consumers intend to spend at least as much — or more — on groceries next year as they did in 2025, according to the results of an international survey released Tuesday by consulting firm AlixPartners.
- Grocery is the only category included in the survey expected to see an overall increase in consumer outlays in 2026.
- While people intend to devote more money to groceries next year, they are highly focused on value and say they’ll quickly shift retailers to achieve even modest savings, the data shows.
Dive Insight:
While AlixPartners’ findings appear to be good news for the grocery industry, the data also suggests that retailers will need to work hard to earn and retain people’s business.
Roughly a third of U.S. shoppers who participated in the survey said they expect to spend “more” or “much more” on groceries in next year as in 2025, while half indicated they believe their spending on those goods will remain the same. Shoppers between the ages of 25 and 44 were more likely than older consumers to indicate that they plan to increase their grocery spending next year, as were people with higher incomes.
Shoppers made clear, however, that they are being squeezed by high prices. Forty-five percent of those who intend to reduce their spending on groceries in 2026 expect to “better plan” their grocery shopping and avoid making impulse purchases, and about the same proportion indicated that they will move to less expensive options. More than a third of these shoppers said they will shop for groceries less frequently.
Two-thirds of U.S. respondents who said they intend to cut their spending on groceries next year indicated they plan to do so because they have less money to spend than they had in the past, while 13% indicated they want to use their funds for other priorities, such as eating out or traveling.
The survey also found that price is the top reason why grocery shoppers are willing to change where they buy groceries. Sixty percent of U.S. respondents to the poll said they would switch to a different retailer for “better prices or promotional offers,” while fewer than 30% said they would make such a change for reasons related to service, convenience or experience. People’s willingness to switch grocery providers or brands to gain better access to health-focused products increased with their incomes.
“Things like digital and delivery have had people going to many more grocers than they used to, which exposes them to a much broader range of propositions and makes them able to cherry-pick,” Matt Hamory, co-leader of AlixPartners’ global grocery practice, said in an interview. “And I think this study shows that that remains very true in grocery. Expect it to be true again next year.”
The spending patterns set to take shape next year build on trends that played out in 2025. Forty-eight percent of U.S. shoppers who participated in the survey said they are spending “more” or “much more” on groceries this year than they did in 2024, while 36% said their outlays for groceries in 2025 are in line with what they spent last year.
The findings are drawn from a survey of 13,115 consumers in China, France, Germany, Italy, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, the United Arab Emirates, the U.K., and the U.S. that AlixPartners conducted between September and November.
Across all of the regions in the survey, AlixPartners found that people plan to increase their grocery spending by 8 percentage points next year while reducing the amount they spend in all other categories included in the poll, including eating out, travel, and fitness and wellness.
