Here are the Thanksgiving products consumers want (2024)

Numerator continues to track purchase data and survey verified buyers to understand shifts in consumer behavior. For Thanksgiving 2023,we looked at consumers’ celebration, shopping, and spending plans for the holiday, as well as past purchase behaviors. Here’s what we learned:

  1. 91%of consumers plan to celebrate Thanksgiving, with another 5% undecided
  2. While most celebration plans remained about the same as last year, more consumers say they will cook or bake this year (61%vs.54%in 2022) and travel for the holiday (16%vs.11%in 2022). About the same number of consumers plan to attend or host gatherings this year (61%vs.63%in 2022)
  3. Gen Z and Millennials are the most likely generations to say they plan to travel this Thanksgiving (21%), while consumers in the Midwest are most likely to attend or host gatherings (70%)
  4. 88%say they plan to purchase food for Thanksgiving, with the most popular items being turkey or turkey breast (59%), dinner rolls or bread (54%), holiday pies (52%), stuffing/dressing (50%) and vegetables (48%)
  5. Consumers in the Western U.S. aretwice as likelyto purchase seafood or meat alternatives for Thanksgiving, compared to other regions. Older generations aremore likelyto purchase turkey, and Boomers+ aretwice as likelyto purchase cranberry sauce, compared to other generations
  6. 76%of consumers plan to buy their Thanksgiving items at grocery stores, followed by mass retailers like Walmart or Target (37%) and club retailers such as Costco or Sam’s Club (29%)
  7. In the two weeks prior to Thanksgiving 2022, the brands that experienced the largest spikes in penetration (compared to the two weeks following Thanksgiving) were Stove Top (4.5x), Cool Whip (3.4x), Jiffy (3.3x), Butterball (3.2x), French’s (3.2x), Reddi-Wip (2.7x), Ocean Spray (2.6x), Carnation (2.5x), Libby's (2.4x), King's Hawaiian (2.3x), Swanson (2.3x) and Bob Evans (2.1x)
  8. In the month leading up to Thanksgiving 2019,29.7%of U.S. households purchased turkey. For Thanksgiving 2020, penetration spiked to37%of households, as consumers stayed home and took up cooking and baking hobbies during the pandemic. Penetration has been steadily declining since 2020 (33.6%in 2021 and31.1%in 2022)
Here are the Thanksgiving products consumers want (2024)

FAQs

What do people buy most at Thanksgiving? ›

Americans cracked open their wallet in a big way on Thanksgiving, spending $5.6 billion on things like clothes, electronics, jewelry and toys. That's a 5.5% increase from how much shoppers spent on turkey day last year.

What are the consumer trends for Thanksgiving? ›

In addition to 91% of consumers planning to celebrate Thanksgiving, 88% are planning to purchase food and 33% are planning to purchase alcohol for the holiday. Of those planning to purchase alcohol, 70% plan to buy wine, followed by beer (57%) and spirits (28%).

How to shop for Thanksgiving? ›

Prep ahead for a shorter list. Streamline your Thanksgiving shopping by prepping and freezing ingredients for stuffing, casserole and even your turkey ahead of time. Not only does this mean a shorter shopping list, but it also reduces your chances of not being able to find key ingredients during your shopping trip.

Why are certain foods associated with Thanksgiving? ›

Winslow didn't mention turkeys at all, but Bradford writes, "And besides waterfowl (duck or geese), there was a great store of wild turkeys, of which they took many, besides venison, etc." Americans started eating turkey for Thanksgiving in the mid-1800s after a popular magazine editor named Sarah Josepha Hale ...

Which Thanksgiving items are most likely to be store bought? ›

The most-likely Thanksgiving items to be completely store-bought are dinner rolls (56%) and cranberry sauce (54%). In this survey, YouGov also asked 983 US Adults who plan to celebrate Thanksgiving when they do their Turkey Day shopping.

Why do people shop on Thanksgiving? ›

Black Friday is a shopping day for a combination of reasons. As the first day after the last major holiday before Christmas, it marks the unofficial beginning of the Christmas shopping season. Additionally, many employers give their employees the day off as part of the Thanksgiving holiday week-end.

When should I buy stuff for Thanksgiving? ›

The weekend before Thanksgiving is the start of game time. Start buying your fresh ingredients, especially what you'll need to prepare the side dishes you start preparing two to three days out. It's also when a lot of people start shopping, so brace yourself.

What are stereotypical Thanksgiving things? ›

Must-eats are: roast turkey, cranberry sauce, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, and sweet potatoes and Brussels sprouts. Green bean casserole has become a popular dish, especially in the Midwest.

What is the busiest Thanksgiving grocery shopping day? ›

Turkey Wednesday – the Wednesday before Thanksgiving – is the Black Friday of the grocery sector. It's the single busiest day of the year for many grocery chains nationwide when consumers flock to their local supermarkets in search of turkeys, stuffing ingredients, and other last-minute supplies.

What are 3 main foods on Thanksgiving? ›

Many Americans would regard Thanksgiving dinner as "incomplete" without stuffing, mashed potatoes with gravy, and cranberry sauce. A recipe for cranberry sauce to be served with turkey appeared in the first American cookbook, American Cookery (1796) by Amelia Simmons.

Which food was not part of Thanksgiving? ›

For one thing, macaroni and cheese is definitely not a traditional Thanksgiving food, nor did the Pilgrims and Wampanoag have oven-safe dishes for baking green-bean casseroles. Or marshmallows.

What is a traditional gift for Thanksgiving? ›

While it's not a tradition to give or exchange gifts on Thanksgiving day, some people bring a gift for the person or family that is hosting the Thanksgiving meal. These gifts are usually small, such as a bottle of wine, flowers, or a platter of desserts the group can share.

What do most people make for Thanksgiving? ›

The classic Thanksgiving dinner includes old-time favorites that never change: turkey, gravy, stuffing, potatoes, veggies, and pie. But the way these dishes are made or added to is everchanging because of food trends and different dietary requirements.

What do you get people for Thanksgiving? ›

A great Thanksgiving gift can be something to be enjoyed that day, like this savory meat and cheese set. It comes with 39 hand-selected artisan cheeses, meats, dried fruits, nuts, chocolates, olives, and spreads, and three 3 full boxes of crackers—all on top of a pretty Acacia wood serving board.

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