Survey: Price, value driving grocery spending changes
The overwhelming majority of consumers are changing their shopping habits at the grocery store due to high prices.
More than 90% of consumers have adjusted their shopping behavior in response to increased costs, according to market research platform Zappi's CPG-Mega Trends Report. More than 80% of consumers report higher grocery costs in the last six months, including more than a quarter seeing increases of more than $50 per week.
Nearly 60% of Americans now spend more than $150 per week on groceries, and one-in-four spend more than $250 weekly. More than half (52%) of households with multiple children reported weekly grocery bills above $200, and 10% noted they spend more than $400 weekly.
Seventy percent of consumers cite price or value as the top influence when shopping for snacks and beverages. At the same time, nearly one-third (32%) of consumers say they would buy the least expensive option on shelves that meets their needs, regardless of brand.
Only 10% of those surveyed said they purchase brand name items exclusively. This is a drop from 21% from Zappi's previous 2025 tariff research. Those purchasing a mix of brand name and private label items have jumped 12 points from 56% to 66% year over year.
Zappi’s report found that consumers who would buy "at any price" fell from 21% last year to 14% for snacks, and 24% to 17% for beverages. A 5-10% price increase would stop purchases for the majority in multiple categories, including cosmetics (62%), sweet snacks (55%) and beverages (51%). Nearly 70% are willing to accept fewer options to keep prices down, with one-in-four who say they are very willing.
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Zappi’s report shows that price is more important than brand values for consumers. Just 12% of those surveyed would pay "a lot more" for brands aligned with their values, while nearly half say they wouldn't pay more at all. Roughly four-in-10 consumers boycotted at least one brand last year, including 22% who boycotted multiple brands.
"For CPG leaders to transform their businesses, they will need to compete on value instead of price, innovating and simplifying their product portfolios in the process," said Nataly Kelly, chief marketing officer at Zappi. "Consumers are under real financial pressure, and with nearly one-third willing to buy the cheapest option that meets their needs, the era of growth driven by price increases is coming to an end. Overcoming data fragmentation and staying continuously connected to consumers will unblock the execution challenges standing in their way."
Zappi’s report surveyed 2,000 U.S. consumers.
