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Back-To-School 2020 Remains a Multiple Choice Question
Footwear and backpacks are back-to-school staples, but purchase decisions will be made through a very different lens this year.
B2B Technology
As The Bell Rings: K-12 Education and Technology Post-COVID
NPD’s B2B Technology analyst, Mike Crosby, takes a look at COVID’s impact on education spending.
Foodservice
Now More Than Ever, Local Means Business
During COVID-19 crisis, Canadian consumers are being encouraged to buy local and support local independent restaurants, food suppliers, farmers, or suppliers.
Are We Still Shopping In Other Peoples Closets?
Despite the sanitization focus during the pandemic, shoppers had minimal concern with buying fashion on resale sites as closet organization added inventory.
Sneakernomics: First Half 2020 Athletic Footwear and Activewear Sales Results
Matt Powell recaps how the sneaker and active apparel markets fared in the first half of 2020.
Marketing to the Lingering Effects of Pandemic Lifestyle at Home
The fall season will reinforce home-focused lifestyle changes cultivated by the pandemic, and consumers will look to solve a new set of food and beverage needs.
Food Consumption
Has COVID-19 Made Consumers Hit the Pause Button on Health?
The stay-at-home advisories across the U.S. during the COVID-19 pandemic have caused many consumers to shift their priorities, including health and wellness. Consumers are eating more indulgent foods and snacks and have put their weight loss programs on pause.
The Co-Existence Conundrum
NPD’s John Buffone looks at the importance of the subscription and transactional digital video overlap.
Sports
Sneakernomics: Back-to-School through the Lens of Sports Retail
Matt Powell outlines how the economic and behavioral shifts due to the pandemic will impact the back-to-school environment and sneaker sales in the weeks ahead.
Foodservice
Consumers Demand Safety in a post-COVID-19 Future
NPD’s Foodservice Consumer Sentiment Study reveals that health and safety will be top of mind for restaurant industry.
COVID Accelerates the Digital Evolution in Food and Foodservice Industries
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about a myriad of behavioral changes, and among the behaviors is the rapid escalation of using technology to order groceries and from a restaurant.
Sports
The Top Trends Shaping Footwear Today
The pandemic has simultaneously bred new footwear trends and amplified some existing ones. Here are the top trends shaping the industry in today’s new world.
Sports
Cycling Accelerates In April
The enthusiasm that consumers are showing for biking, particularly for recreational and family riding, has been an amazing phenomenon for the cycling community. Dirk highlights two areas that can provide ongoing growth.
Retaining Attention in the Rip-Roaring Decade of Streaming Video
What is driving increased viewer engagement in streaming TV and what’s contributing most to subscriber churn? Find out in this piece by NPD’s John Buffone.
Sports
Sneakernomics: Sports Retail under COVID-19
U.S. consumer behavior and spending patterns are emerging in the data, offering a glimpse into what sports retail will look like as we move through this pandemic. Matt Powell outlines where he sees the opportunities.
Beauty
What’s Blooming in Beauty
While the U.S. prestige beauty market remains challenged when compared to last year, the buds emerge when we look at week-over-week sales. Fragrance for Mother’s Day and eye makeup for a nice ‘smize’ (smiling eyes) are some of the products in bloom.
Sports
Reinventing Family Vacation
Embracing outdoor moments and looking to create them in both the open-air and comfort of our backyards has been a natural response to stay-at-home orders. With air travel showing slow improvement and family vacation options limited, camping could have a breakout summer.
Sports
Maintaining Momentum for Fitness at Home
The home fitness trend is one of the biggest to emerge from the COVID-19 crisis. Now that consumer interest is piqued on how to exercise at home, the question for retailers and manufacturers becomes, how do we maintain the momentum established over these weeks? Dirk offers up three answers.
Retail
Retail’s Future Opportunities Look Different than Today’s Wins
Recent sales increases in several discretionary categories reflect today's buying behavior, but also offer insight to help prepare for a new way of shopping.
Foodservice
COVID-19 and British foodservice – expect to see deals, delivery and technology as part of the ‘new normal’
The ‘new normal’ we should expect to see in Great Britain’s post-COVID-19 foodservice industry will involve three key components: deals; delivery; and the increased use of technology.
Sports
A New Cycling Culture
Several cycling categories are seeing unprecedented sales growth as biking has become increasingly popular as both a family and fitness activity in today’s COVID-19 world.
Food Consumption
Shelter-In-Place Orders Are Driving Usage of Old and New Kitchen Appliances
New food market research finds consumers are harnessing certain cooking appliances more often today versus year ago with the aim of reducing preparation and cook times as well as expanding in-home options.
Foodservice
COVID-19 and British foodservice – Q1 Impact
In February, as the world watched the COVID-19 crisis unfold in China and elsewhere, the first confirmed cases were appearing in the UK, and we were heading towards the restrictions that have overwhelmed so much of British foodservice. With everyone’s thoughts focused on the restart and the recovery it makes sense to try and understand how this might be achieved.
Sports
Sneakernomics: What Sports Brands and Retailers Must Do Now
In today’s uncertain and unsettling times, Matt Powell offers his thoughts on what sports and outdoor industry brands and retailers must act upon right now to take care of their customers and businesses.
Foodservice
Stocking Our Kitchen Pantries Amid the Pandemic
What’s happening with those overloaded pantry shelves/freezers that consumers filled at the beginning of the virus outbreak? Almost three-fourths of consumers say they’re eating different foods now, and the vast majority of homes have five or more packages of the same item in their pantries and freezers.
Automotive
A New Wave of DIY Car Care
A handful of project-related automotive aftermarket categories around car washing, detailing, maintenance, and repair have recently showed significant growth. The industry has a huge opportunity to encourage do-it-yourself (DIY) vehicle projects and engage with this consumer base differently.
Foodservice
Meal Kits Have a New Purpose in Our New Reality
With shelter in place orders and social distancing forcing consumers to stay in their homes, a staggering number of consumers have issues finding groceries for delivery. This need to get food into the home without going into a grocery store has shined a new light on meal kits, which had been losing popularity with consumers prior to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Sports
Sneakernomics: Q1 2020 Athletic Footwear and Apparel Recap
NPD sports industry advisor Matt Powell shares the retail sales highlights across the U.S. athletic footwear and activewear markets for the first quarter of the year.
Video Games
Connections and Community – Animal Crossing: New Horizons Propels the U.S. Video Game Market
New Horizons truly defined March 2020 for the U.S. video game market and corresponding period of social distancing. There is a synthesis between this game and this time in history that will leave the two forever connected in the world of video games.
Sports
Embracing Health and Fitness at Home
Companies in the home fitness space are working overtime as consumers are being challenged to reinvent their exercise routines. In many ways, the COVID-19 crisis is speeding up some home fitness trends that were already underway pre-pandemic.
