The UK just broke its all-time June temperature record. 🌡️ Three days in a row.
We decided to ask 200 UK consumers what it actually did to their shopping baskets.
🛒 81% of consumers changed how they shopped. They went earlier in the morning, switched to online delivery, changed their frequency, or made more impulsive purchases. Only 19% carried on as normal.
🍦 53% of respondents bought more ice cream - alongside cold soft drinks (50%) and fresh fruit (31%), while alcohol moved only slightly at 14%. Even with the World Cup on!
🥤 1 in 4 consumers (25%) tried a chilled or iced coffee for the first time. A new sparkling or flavoured water brand was tried for the first time by 1 in 5 (20%). That's a meaningful opening for challenger drinks brands. Heat waves create a trial occasion where there wasn't one before.
🍽️ Nearly half of respondents (47%) ate fewer meals than normal. Not because of dieting - "the heat killed my appetite" was the driver. Only 17% said they ate pretty much as normal.
Heat events aren't just a sales spike for summer staples. They're one of the few windows where consumers try new products out of necessity rather than interest. That's earned trial.
Cultural moments move fast. Stickybeak gets you consumer feedback in hours, not weeks. 🤝
