CHICAGO -- Sales of dips and spreads experience the most dramatic increase the week prior to the Super Bowl, said IRI, which released data detailing the sales lift of various food, beverage and consumer product categories that are most impacted by pre-game preparations and shopping trips for the Super Bowl.
Key highlights include:
- Shelf-stable dips/dip mixes grew more than 45%, refrigerated dip sales increased 48% and refrigerated spreads were up 13% versus the week prior. In total, $54.8 million was spent on dips and spreads during the week leading up to the Super Bowl last year.
- Beer is the No. 1 product category by sales dollars, generating $583 million in sales the week prior to the NFL’s flagship event. It far outpaced liquor, which drove sales of $109 million.
- With more than 196 million units sold, salty snacks constitute the leading category by units, generating $438 million in sales.
- With $277 million in sales, natural cheese accounts for the majority of cheese sales during the week leading up to the Super Bowl. Still, cream cheese and processed cheese reap the biggest sales boost from the big game. Last year, these categories saw sales spikes of 30% and 19%, respectively, as a result of pre-game preparations. In comparison, natural cheese sales grew 10%.
- Firewood or firestarter sales increased 27% as Americans prepared to watch the Super Bowl; candles also performed well, with sales growth of more than 10%.
Click on the link below for a full table of the findings.
“IRI is constantly examining data in relation to special events, such as the Super Bowl, to better understand and highlight their influence on consumer shopping patterns,” said Susan Viamari, vice president of thought leadership. “Unique insight into purchase behavior empowers IRI’s clients to take action to reach the right customers at the right time in order to grow their businesses.”
The study examined retail sales data for the week ending Feb. 1, 2015, for categories with a minimum of $10 million in dollar sales and greater than 10% change in dollar sales versus the prior week. The sales figures include the total U.S. multi-outlet with convenience store channel, which coverers supermarkets, drug stores, mass market retailers, gas/convenience stores, military commissaries and selected club and dollar retail chains; liquor stores are not included.
Chicago-based IRI is a leading provider of big data, predictive analytics and insights that help consumer packaged goods (CPG), over-the-counter (OTC) health care organizations, retailers and media companies to grow their businesses. It has a large repository of purchase, media, social, causal and loyalty data, integrated on an on-demand, cloud-based technology platform.
Members help make our journalism possible. Become a CSP member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.