The Fourth of July is the party of the summer—and your customers are gearing up for it. The traditional burgers, hot dogs, and beer are still crowd favorites, but according toNielsen, some of your products are in high demand. Nielsen released numbers from the week ending July 7, 2018, along with a statement indicating that the company foresees last year’s trends continuing. Here’s five Fourth of July essentials your customers want to stock up on.
  1. Meat Alternatives: According to Nielsen, Americans spent $10 million on fully cooked, plant-based meat alternatives and $315 million on fresh, plant-based meat alternatives over the course of the week ending 7/7/18. Those numbers are around half of what Americans spent on cooked and fresh beef over the same week. Get ready to watch your plant-based meats fly off the shelves—and consider placing plant-based cheeses conveniently close by, for a completely plant-based burger. (Find more plant-based success strategies here, and read up on all the latest plant-based trends here.)
  2. Condiments: Specifically, those with Asian and Latino flavor profiles are growing. Asian condiments saw an 18% dollar sales growth last year compared to 2017, and Latino condiments saw an 8.2% growth. Mustard, on the other hand, saw a 2.7% decrease in the same time frame. For more on sauces and condiments, keep an eye on WholeFoods—our August issue will include a condiments feature.
  3. Hard Seltzers: Dollar sales over the past week were $16 million, an increase of 150%. These seltzers single-handedly boosted the Flavored Malt Beverages/Coolers category: It grew 12.1% last year over the same week in 2017—but without hard seltzers, it would have actually shown a 9.5% decline. (For more on drinks customers are loving, check out our Gourmet feature here, where we talk about seasonal mixers and innovative blends.)
  4. Sunscreen: Having brought in nearly $75 million in one week last year, it saw 11.5% year-over-year growth. Branded sunscreens saw five times the sales of private label. Promote brands like Earth Mama, so parents can feel safe letting their kids run around in the sun. (Find more on natural strategies to help your customers outsmart summer fun spoilers here.)
  5. Bug Spray: Last year, it saw a 7.2% year-over-year increase. Private label, while still a smaller piece of the pie—it earned a little under $8.5 million, compared to branded bug spray’s $152 million—saw 236.4% growth year-over-year. Also consider sharing these tips from Kari Warberg Block, founder & CEO of EarthKind, a skin- and environment-friendly mosquito repellant, so that parents and kids alike can sit outside even after the sun goes down.