Shopper intelligence firm sees return to normalcy in stats

Catalina, a St. Petersburg-based marketing company that studies sales trends in the consumer packaged goods (CPG) sector, has released the latest findings from its shopper intelligence database — and the results point to an enthusiastic return to post-Covid normalcy.

In a sign that people are dressing up and going out again, Maybelline lipstick sales, in the four weeks ending May 22, surged by 66 percent compared to the same period in 2020. Likewise, sales of Native, a brand of deodorant, rose by 88 percent, while Downy clothing wrinkle reducer sales were up 48%.

Dating via Zoom seems to be a fading trend, as well: Sales of Tic Tac breath fresheners are up 51 percent, while Durex condom sales jumped 32 percent.

Catalina also found that shoppers, in the four weeks ending May 22, made more frequent trips to grocery stores than the comparable period in 2020, but spent less and bought fewer products; however, compared to the same period in 2019, they spent 7 percent more and basket sizes were 18 percent larger.

Americans are also becoming more comfortable with returning to dining in restaurants, as opposed to cooking at home, Catalina found. Sales of fresh meat and fresh poultry declined by 18 percent and 21 percent, respectively, while dried pasta sales dipped by 20 percent. Similarly, shoppers spent 23 percent less on bulk dried rice, 21 percent less on canned beans and 23 percent less on cooking oil in the four weeks that ended May 22.

“There’s no doubt the pandemic continues to have a dramatic impact on shopping behavior,” Catalina Chief Marketing Officer Marta Cyhan said in a prepared statement. “Being able to provide retailers, CPG marketers and agencies with insights into what people are now buying — and why — helps us collectively develop and deliver highly personalized marketing messages across multiple channels that measurably impact sales in real time.”

When people do cook at home, it seems they are having friends and family over for potlucks and barbecues, or picnicking in parks, because sales of Dixie Cups and Chinet plastic cutlery have risen by 36 percent and 39 percent, respectively.

Catalina’s shopper intelligence database, the release stated, is overseen by a team of data scientists and advanced analytics professionals and can capture up to three years of purchase history and more than two billion Universal Product Codes.

Infographic courtesy of Catalina.