Eggs’ versatility across day parts and uses as an ingredient and a main dish is a case study in category disruption and how to unlock growth, Circana shared in a recent webinar.
Nearly all households (94%) buy fresh eggs, with retail trips including eggs growing 4% for the year ending April 20, according to Circana data. Eggs also generate larger basket sizes, with consumers spending on average $102 for trips with eggs compared to $47 for those without, per Circana data for the same period.
Eggs growth comes in part from how the protein went beyond being a breakfast-time source of protein to a food that can fit into every meal occasion, Darren Seifer, executive director and industry advisor of consumer goods and foodservice at Circana, explained.
“If your product is very focused against the breakfast occasion, you really need to be thinking about how do I make this more of a lunch and a snacking item as well. And that way consumers might actually have your products multiple times throughout that same one day,” he elaborated.
From eggs to candy grapes to cottage cheese
Grapes and cottage cheese are embracing this multi-function approach and finding market success, Seifer noted. Grapes are moving the fruit beyond snacking occasions thanks to the cotton candy grape trend and viral social media posts about candying the fruit, he added.
“There is now permission for consumers to use grapes throughout the day,” he elaborated.
Cottage cheese is also capitalizing on social media attention, as the dairy product becomes an ingredient for dips or as a snack for different day parts, Seifer noted. Cottage cheese was one of three categories that experienced unit growth in March, increasing by 19.4%, according to Circana Integrated Fresh data.
When positioning a product for a new occasion, CPG companies must be careful to ensure that the product is still addressing a need in the market, Seifer pointed out.
“When people go to the store, they say things like ‘What is for dinner? What is for breakfast? What am I gonna eat tomorrow?’ That is the mindset that consumers are in. So, we need to make sure that we are not just being transactional with consumers, that we are actually providing them with solutions,” he elaborated.
