New CPG Summer Trends: How Shopping Data Reveals Smarter Strategies

Summer is in full swing, and so are new seasonal shopping behaviors. In her latest Viewpoints feature on CPGmatters, AdAdapted’s Co-Founder and CRO Molly McFarland breaks down fresh insights from real-time digital list data to help CPG marketers make the most of summer sales moments.

Here’s what Molly uncovered:

• Summer has a longer planning window. Items like liquor, hot dogs, and condiments are often added to digital grocery lists up to eight days in advance, giving marketers a bigger window to influence purchase decisions.
  
  
• Meal planning is expanding beyond the grill. Shoppers are building full occasion-based lists, including stone fruits, pickling supplies, outdoor insect repellents, and meal accompaniments like sweet glazes and salads.
  
  
• Impulse still plays a role. While many summer items are planned in advance, products like steak and cocktail mixers tend to be added last-minute, making real-time, context-aware campaigns just as crucial.
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Molly’s piece offers a clear takeaway for brands: think beyond product-level marketing and focus on full occasion-based strategies. From planned BBQs to spontaneous patio parties, brands that use shopping intent data to align timing and messaging can better connect with summer shoppers, and build stronger brand affinity in the process.

Read the full article here.