Summer is almost here, which means it’s time to fire up the grill. Grilling is a summertime staple, leading consumers to stock up on all the necessary products for the perfect BBQ or just a tasty weeknight dinner.

Below we explore summer grilling consumer behavior and key product trends culled from SPINS data, to help you understand and prepare for the season ahead.

Turn up the heat on meat

Meat is a center-of-the-grill item.

• 79% of consumers will be grilling burgers.
• 73% of consumers will be grilling chicken.
• 69% of consumers will be grilling hot dogs, whether beef, pork or turkey.
• 57% of consumers will be grilling steak.
• 23% of consumers will be grilling protein alternatives, like plant-based options and tofu.

There is a higher demand for animal meat versus plant meat. Specifically, shoppers consume more frozen chicken as a healthier alternative to other red meats, growing 4% year over year.

Plant-based meat sales have been sluggish, driven by higher prices, taste and not meeting consumer expectations. However, there is robust growth and innovation within certain segments. Actual Veggies Frozen Black BeanBurgers grew triple digits as a new item entering the space, while an established brand, Gardein, posted growth of over 200% on their Frozen Sausage Bratwurst Links.

Picks for your picnic basket

Memorial Day heralds the unofficial start of summer — a season full of backyard gatherings, barbecues and picnics. Below are stand-out products to feature based on their price, performance and positioning:

• Kosher: Dietz & Watson Jumbo Uncured Hot Dogs
• Plant Based: Field Roast Plant Based Frankfurters
• Below Category Average Price: Niman Ranch 80/20 Ground Beef 1 lb.
• Below Category Average Price: Cleveland Kitchen Dill Pickle Chips 3.5 oz.
• Below Category Average Price: Tejava Ready to Drink Black Tea 33.8 oz.
• Veteran Owned: True Made Foods Memphis BBQ Sauce
• FODMAP Friendly: Fody Unsweetened Ketchup
• Upcycled: Uglies Sea Salt Kettle Chips
• Innovative Flavor: Heyday Apricot Glazed Baked Beans
• Non-Alcoholic: Zero Gravity Sparkling Hop Water 6 pack

Stay hydrated

What are the best beverages to serve at a barbeque? Consumers reach for soda first (79%), water varietals (69%) and beer (55%) as top choices.

Soda has had a bit of a renaissance as of late, going beyond just taste. Looking at the data, we saw that compared to just two years ago, six brands have joined the functional soda foray. From the addition of adaptogens to the ever-growing portfolio of digestive health sodas, these brands are gaining traction in addition to the top brands of OLIPOP and Poppi: Rowdy Mermaid, Humm, MyMuse, Mighty Pop, Remedy Drinks Sodaly and SunSip (Health-Ade).

In flavored sparkling water, over the 15-week grilling season, these top six brands drove 74% or $774 million of the total flavored sparkling waters sales: Sparkling Ice, LaCroix, Bubly, Polar, Spindrift and Waterloo. Their overall growth was 4.0%, selling an average of $667,000 per UPC.

Memorial Day is the second largest holiday for beer sales behind the Fourth of July. These standouts have shown strong growth over the past three years:

ABV Strengths (alcohol by volume):

• +24% non-alcoholic: increasingly gaining share in the n/a and functional beverages
• +11% abv 4.4%: popular, medium strength
• +94% abv 9.5%: tend to be some of the most flavorful and complex beers

Beer Types:

• +4% adjunct lager: light-bodied fizzy lager
• +6% pilsner: a more hop-forward beer
• +60% hazy IPA: intense fruit flavors

Overall, grocery shopping trends for summer grilling season appear to be driven by providing variety. Cookouts and barbecues present a unique, something-for-everyone hosting opportunity, where home cooks strive to provide guests with options to accommodate different tastes. This creates a significant opportunity for grocery retailers to drive sales throughout the season.

Source: SPINS SNE+ MULO (powered by Circana) 2023