The Butterball brand has released its Butterball Togetherness Report: Capitalizing on Consumer Appetite for Shared Meals, uncovering how consumer shopping behavior is impacted when preparing for shared meals beyond the holidays and opportunities for grocery retailers to capitalize on these behaviors.

The report examines shared meals — planned meals prepared and eaten in a home with other people, whether family or friends — to highlight the dynamics of human connection. Shared meals can include immediate family meals, casual meals with family or friends, and special occasion meals. 

Conducted among a sample of more than 2,000 grocery shoppers aged 24 and up in the contiguous United States, the report sheds light on key trends shaping modern dining experiences that can help retailers curate their shopping experience to consumer preferences. 

The new Butterball Togetherness Report uncovers the role of shared meals throughout the year as well as the barriers Americans face when planning them. It also illuminates opportunities for grocery retailers to help consumers overcome these obstacles and bring people together through food more frequently. 

“For 70 years, Butterball has helped new and seasoned hosts prepare the perfect Thanksgiving centerpiece to foster togetherness through food, however there are numerous opportunities and a strong desire for people to gather over shared meals throughout the year,” said Kyle Lock, Butterball’s VP of retail and international marketing. “We examined the changing dynamics in human connection, and by sharing these insights, Butterball hopes to shed light on opportunities for grocery retailers to create a tailored shopping experience for consumers. Butterball believes in the power of food to bring people together and anticipates this trend will continue to grow, bringing additional moments of impact for grocery retailers.”  

While Americans want to gather for meals, they find that busy schedules are the top barrier holding them back from doing so as frequently as they would like. However, shoppers aren’t willing to compromise on their shared meal — they are keen to shop in store for shared meals, rather than using time-saving options such as ordering online for pickup or delivery. Additional barriers cited include limited hosting space, insufficient time to plan and prepare meals, limited cooking abilities and lack of new recipe ideas. One item that is not a major consumer concern when shopping for a shared meal: expense. The report found that shoppers typically spend more on groceries for shared meals, with younger generations — Gen Z and Millennials — spending significantly more on meals shared in their home than older generations. 

For large grocery retailers, the report highlights opportunities to help consumers solve some of these obstacles to save time planning and shopping for shared meals. Grocery retailers can help time-crunched, shared-meal shoppers by providing digital options such as publishing recipes online and in-app ingredient lists. Grocery retailers can adapt to other shopper preferences by making recipe bundle kits or updating store organization to create an easy, in-store shopping experience, where shoppers have a sense of safety, inclusivity and enjoyment. 

Additional key takeaways and trends from the report:

How grocery retailers can attract share-meal shoppers and boost loyalty

  • Help consumers shop for more frequent shared meals and make them more satisfying.
  • Reduce time and energy spent planning meals through store organization, recipe bundles and friendly customer service.
  • Provide inspiration, instill confidence, and create a fun shopping experience to attract younger consumers.

Desire for shared meals

  • 80% of those who have increased shared meals over the last two years say their lives are very rewarding, compared to 60% of those who have shared meals less often.
  • Younger consumers are willing to spend more money on hosting shared meals compared to Boomers, with younger Millennials and older Gen Z spending 55% more, and older Millennials spending 51% more.
  • 69% of all respondents express a desire for increased shared meals, despite busy schedules as the primary barrier.

Unveiling the shopper’s palate

  • 87% of shoppers favor physical grocery stores over online or delivery options when shopping for shared meals. 
  • 88% of participants agree that some grocery stores are more preferable than others when shopping for shared meals, citing factors such as ease, convenience and product offerings over price and value. 
  • Local specialty stores (3.25x increase) and wholesale stores (2.5x increase) draw disproportionately more consumers who are shopping for shared meals, compared to regular grocery runs. 

Source: Butterball LLC