Snacking Remains Popular With Shoppers Online and In-Store

May 3, 2022
by SPINS Marketing

Omnichannel Data Gives Insight Into the Snacks Category

Shoppers are buying their favorite snacks in brick-and-mortar stores and online—thanks to technology, busy lives, and pandemic habits. Chips, cookies, snack bars, trail mix, candy, dips, rice cakes—you name it. Whether they’re working at home or at the office, heading to the gym, or watching a movie, shoppers are reaching for their favorite foods.  

In order to understand this perennially popular category, we’ve looked at omnichannel data across brick-and-mortar stores and on Amazon. With this full view of snacking, you can understand your retail, delve into the snack subcategory for a competitive advantage, and understand the top trends: 

Wellness Goals Help Drive Category Growth

Shelf Stable Jerky and Meat snacks have experienced strong sales growth in both brick-and-mortar and online sales. Based on SPINS Omni-Intelligence data, shelf stable jerky and meat snacks grew 37% year-over-year on Amazon and 20% year-over-year in brick-and-mortar stores. Much of this growth stems from manufacturers responding to consumer demand through innovation. As shoppers pursue wellness on their own terms, they want their favorite snacks to align with their priorities, such as clean label, plant-based ingredients, and high protein content.  

Jerky Innovation Leads Subcategory Growth

Jerky has long been the most popular subcategory in the meat snacks category, and that’s still true today. Low-calorie and low-carb diets (like Keto) have helped jerky remain a pantry staple for snackers. That’s one reason why year-over-year sales for shelf stable jerky are up 19% in brick-and-mortar stores and up an impressive 30% on Amazon.  

Part of that growth could also come from jerky’s evolution beyond the traditional beef and turkey. Innovative ingredients have allowed the category to appeal to new audiences, such as using mushroom jerky and other plant-based ingredients to reach vegans and vegetarians. Plus, sustainability and clean eating matter to shoppers of all dietary preferences, which is why grass-fed beef and other climate-friendly attributes have also become common label claims. 

Industry Attributes Help Category Growth

The industry’s top trends are influencing the snacking category—even down to the attribute level. For example, mindful snacking allows shoppers to pick the items that meet their needs without sacrificing their favorite foods. In year-over-year sales, plant-based snacks grew 53%, grass-fed snacks grew 24%, and Keto snacks grew 14%. 

Gain Insights With SPINS Omni-Intelligence

Snacking products remain must-have items for shoppers of all walks, and you can understand the trends happening in this category if you have the right data. Dig into the snacking category with omnichannel from brick-and-mortar stores and Amazon. SPINS Omni-Intelligence has 9 snacking categories and 40 snacking subcategories.

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