IRAU Quarterly MAY 2021 | Page 28

ANALYSIS

Spice up your life : The rise of home cooking

Thanks to lockdown , many people have discovered their inner chef , but now that working from home may be a permanent fixture in some businesses , consumer shopping behaviours have changed . By Norrelle Goldring

O ne of the key drivers of FMCG category consumption and kitchen appliance purchases is the extent to which people will continue working from home in the future . It is looking increasingly likely that many office workers will continue to work from home , at least on a part-time basis , with a number of media reports suggesting that up to 95 per cent of consumers do not want to return to commuting five days a week and want to work a maximum of three days a week in the office .

The shift to working from home during and following the initial pandemic lockdowns in early 2020 has led to an increase in the number of meals being cooked and consumed at home , with more time available for planning and execution . This has impacted what is being bought and prepared , and how it is being prepared , with many new kitchen appliances being purchased and kitchen renovations being performed as part of a broader nesting trend . It has also impacted consumers ’ choice of retail channels , particularly for beverages and snacks .
Illuminera Australia ran two studies late in 2020 ( Project Hearth and Project Chef ), looking at the impacts of the pandemic and working from home on at-home consumption occasions , cooking and baking , supermarket shopping behaviour , kitchen appliance purchases and kitchen renovations , including what behaviours are likely to stick through 2021 . Here are some of the key findings of those studies and several implications for retail this year .
A need for the spice of life The majority of consumers revealed they were enjoying cooking and baking more , and believed their skills had improved . A number had tried meal delivery kits early on but reverted to cooking from scratch as their confidence improved and it was cheaper . Consumers also said one of the major changes they were enjoying was having more time to plan and prepare meals ( due to less time spent commuting ), including both preparing and eating meals together as a family . This had had several impacts on cooking behaviours . One is the rise of the ‘ snacking whilst cooking dinner ’ occasion , typically on cheese and crackers ( accompanied by a wine or G & T ). Cheese has been a beneficiary of the pandemic , with cheese appearing in our consumers ’ consumption diaries as the number two snack behind fruit . This can be seen in the 3600 per cent sales increase that cheese subscription retailer Cheese Therapy enjoyed in the run-up to
28 | www . insideretail . com . au May 2021