Lower income consumers are pulling back from fast food as years of price hikes push QSRs past their affordability threshold. Brands are scrambling to win them back with sharper value plays.
National brands are becoming more strategic in their battle to reclaim market share from private label and challenger brands. Meanwhile, as store brands capture 24% of the market, they’re leaning on some tactics of their own to support bottom lines.
The cost of snacking while watching the latest NBA game is getting expensive, averaging as much as $44 dollars in select major cities. Using a basket of game-day essentials, Action Network developed a benchmark for hidden costs to basketball viewing.
Circana insights suggest shoppers’ “retail therapy” is a clear motivation for retail sales growth at the start of 2026. Both indulgent and better-for-you aspirational ‘snack-tivities’ are most primed to benefit.
