Grocery spending remains steady, consumers to cut back elsewhere
With prices remaining high, consumers are focusing finding deals on groceries and restraining discretionary spending.
According to new survey data from Attain based on purchase behavior over the past 12 months, 42% of consumers plan to spend less on groceries in the next three months, but 45% don’t plan to make any change. Nearly two-thirds (65%) say price & deals top of mind when it comes to food purchases.
Grocery spending showed a modest increase in the first quarter of 2025, but has remained consistent overall. The survey found that shoppers are buying private label brands (40%), using coupons (40%), and shopping at multiple stores (36%) to save on groceries.
In discretionary categories, Attain’s survey found that almost half (49%) of consumers say they are shopping less for clothing, electronics, and household goods. A similar number (47%) plan to reduce spend in those categories over the next quarter.
Electronics spending increased through early 2025 before declining in recent months. Clothing and accessories spending steadily increased through the start of 2025, followed by a slight decrease this spring, according to the survey.
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“Consumers are focused on essentials and savings,” noted Attain COO Ben Kartzman. “Income stability (44%) and rising prices (33%) are the top drivers of overall spending behavior.”
The data from Attain comes on the heels of a report from JLL which found that parents plan to spend 17.3% more on back-to-school shopping, which is considerably more than the current year-over-year inflation rate of 2.4%.
