Consumers Affected by June 2024 Heat Wave Increased Ice Spend by +15%, Alcoholic Beverage Spend by +27%; Southern U.S. Consumers 27% More Likely to Restock Emergency Supply Kits Multiple Times per Year
CHICAGO, August 21, 2024 (GlobeNewswire) – Numerator, a data and tech company serving the market research space, has released a new report—Enduring the Heat: How Weather & Climate Changes are Shifting Consumer Behavior—examining the relationship between temperature fluctuations and shifts in consumer purchasing across sectors. The report combines verified purchase data with a July 2024 survey of 2,000 consumers to understand climate-related concerns and the resulting impact on consumer behavior. Overall, 16% of general merchandise categories and 14% of CPG categories—such as automotive, household, sports, grocery, and home & garden—show a fifth of unit sales patterns are due to temperature changes.
Key Findings Include:
- Consumers are feeling the rising temperatures – and many are choosing to relocate. More than half of Americans (57%) report higher temperatures this year compared to prior years, a trend confirmed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in their June 2024 Global Climate Report. Nearly one-third (30%) of consumers say they have considered or already relocated due to climate-related issues. 15% of households living in the U.S. West and 13% in the South say they have moved in the past because of weather.
- Hotter temperatures require more ice and alcohol for some households. In June 2024, households that claimed to experience hotter temperatures this year spent 15% more on ice compared to the national average. Alcoholic beverages also saw a 27% increase in household spending.
- Temperature fluctuations drive shifts in consumer purchasing across various sectors. Over the past year ending June 2024, temperature changes have been correlated with shifts in units across various sectors. In the automotive sector, temperature changes accounted for more than 20% of the unit sales patterns in 22% of its major categories. Similarly, 20% of the household sector’s major categories, 17% of the sports sector’s major categories, 17% of the grocery sector’s major categories, and 16% of the home & garden sector’s major categories experienced notable changes in units correlated with temperature fluctuations.
- The categories with the strongest relationship to weather changes are often unexpected. Roach bait was the category most influenced by warmer weather, followed by ice cream cones & cups. In colder weather, barley and humidifiers were the top categories affected.
- Restaurants also see increased traffic as consumers avoid turning on their stoves. Dessert restaurants, such as Dairy Queen and Baskin-Robbins, saw 57% of their traffic variance explained by moving temperatures, including a 7% increase in traffic in June 2024 compared to 2023. Jamba Juice and Salad and Go also saw increased traffic.
- Weather event preparedness varies by region. 33% of consumers said their area has experienced storms more often than in prior years, and the regions most prepared for severe weather events are the South (39% feel very or extremely prepared) and Northeast (33%). 25% of U.S. consumers in the West feel unprepared should a natural weather event occur.
- Emergency kits consist mainly of household supplies and consumables. Common emergency supplies include flashlights (65% of households), first aid kits (58%), water (58%), batteries (58%), and non-perishable foods (47%). Southern households, frequently hit by hurricanes, are 27% more likely to restock their emergency kits multiple times a year.
- Even with hotter weather, consumers look to retailers and brands to determine when to start winter holiday shopping. Consumers reported that their cue to start winter holiday shopping included retailers and brands offering discounts on holiday items (43%), holiday displays being out (28%), a specific date or time frame (27%), holiday products being advertised (25%), and traditional holiday events or activities occurring in the community (21%). Nearly a fifth of consumers (18%) said that the weather becoming more winter-like was their cue to start winter holiday purchasing.
- The week prior to a weather event sees more households stocking up on a variety of items. In the week before a disaster, more households are buying building tools (+18%), automotive tools (+17%), lighters (+14%), balanced nutrition and snacks (+13%), and batteries (+12%). During a disaster, consumers are opting for sewing & mending (+24%) and afterwards, they are buying lighters (+32%), auto tools (+9%), and pest & insect control (+8%).
Numerator’s Weather Survey was fielded to over 2,000 U.S. consumers in July 2024. Purchasing insights were compiled using Numerator’s 150k household Total Commerce Panel.
About Numerator:
Numerator is a data and tech company bringing speed and scale to market research. Numerator blends first-party data from over 1 million US households with advanced technology to provide 360-degree consumer understanding for the market research industry that has been slow to change. Headquartered in Chicago, IL, Numerator has 2,000 employees worldwide; 80 of the top 100 CPG brands’ manufacturers are Numerator clients.
