Consumers are sticking with basic purchases in categories like fresh meat, pasta, packaged dinners along with baking mixes and supplies as meal preparation consumption comes back to the home.
Increases in wine and alcoholic beverages indicate that consumers are opting to consume their favorite beverage at home too. At the same time they are continuing to avoid discretionary items, according to the latest monthly update of U.S. Retailing & Consumer Trends from The Nielsen Company.
The non-edible departments were the greatest contributors to an overall 1.2 percent unit sales decline at food, …

James Russo, Vice President, Global Consumer Insights, discussed the latest Nielsen consumer research, touching on everything from Blu-Ray players to home canning, during a discussion of the changing American consumer on a recent segment on CNBC.

Consumers are continuing to purchase private label products at an increasing rate, according to new research from The Nielsen Company.
The “U.S. Store Brand Development” found that both private label dollar and unit sales significantly increased for the 52-week period ending July 11, 2009 versus the prior year.
Dollar sales grew by 7.4 percent to $85.9 billion within food, drug and mass-merchandisers (including Walmart), with shares recorded at 16.9 percent. This reflects an increase of 0.7 points from the previous year. Growth peaked in 2008 but then slowed slightly in 2009 with …

The number of drug stores in the U.S. has declined by more than 2,000 in the last 7 years (to 37,700 outlets), as independent pharmacies close.  And in the last decade, the percent of U.S. households shopping in drug stores has dropped from 89 percent to 81 percent.  But the drug store channel generates more than $43 billion in sales, excluding prescriptions, and the nation’s leading chains are continuing to innovate to grow their share of the consumer’s spend. 
So what are the top selling categories in the drug channel? Six …

If, when walking or driving around town, you’ve thought to yourself that it seems like there are a lot of new convenience stores that have sprouted up over the last few years, you’d be right.  Since December 2001, more than 20,000 new locations have opened, bringing the total to almost 145,000 such stores in the U.S.  But facing high gas prices last year as well as competition from groceries and mass merchandisers and the effects of the economy, C-Stores have actually been pulling back.  Since the end of 2007, more …

Nielsen Chairman and CEO David Calhoun addressed the 53rd CIES World Food Business Summit in June, providing retailers and manufacturers with a comprehensive view of dramatic shifts in the consumer economy amid the global financial crisis.   
Watch the presentation [29 minutes]
 The freefall of the economy may be coming to an end, but new rules are in play:

There has been a fundamental shift in consumer spending patterns, as restraint has become the new mantra. Over the next 18 months to two years, consumers will make critical decisions about discretionary spending, saving, or paying down debt, …

Mark Laceky, Vice President, Price & Promotion Practice, North America, The Nielsen Company
The economic downturn continues to put stress on consumers, resulting in accelerating changes in basic purchasing patterns. An important part of the overall equation for consumers is the relationship between price and value. As consumers develop new value systems, how should manufacturers and retailers view and manage the other side of the equation-price?
If your business models and pricing strategies pre-date recent changes in the economy and consumer behavior, you could be headed for trouble. Perhaps now more than …

Todd Hale, Senior Vice President – Consumer & Shopper Insights
A fellow Nielsen associate recently sent me an article she had received from a client about how private label was receiving high acceptance among even affluent American households.  While I am a huge fan of the attitudinal insights from consumer survey data, I am also a huge fan of the behavioral insights from consumer panel data.  The best of both worlds is when we get to integrate both data types in our analytical work in the consumer packaged goods industry.  But …

As the “great recession” continues and consumers hear conflicting messaging about when the U.S. economy will improve, shoppers from all income levels are increasingly seeking out and taking advantage of deals at the grocery store. Whether in the form of store promotion or deal or manufacturers coupon, deal rates are up more than 8% from a year ago for households earning more than $70K, a faster rise than the 6% uptick for middle-income households ($30K-$69.9K) and 5% gain for the lower income households earning less than $30K per year.

Those affluent …

The effects of the recession may be seen on the BBQ grill this Fourth of July. Sales of hot dogs have been going up in recent months while register rings for more expensive bratwurst and knockwurst have been declining, according to new research from The Nielsen Company. This is a reversal of sales trends the past several years.
July 3rd traditionally has the highest sales volume for all three types of meat. Consumers were 50 percent more likely to buy hot dogs during the four-week period ending on July 12, 2008 …