Table of Contents
Overview
-
- What you need to know
- Definition
Executive Summary
-
- The issues
- Cracker sales slow in 2016
-
- Figure 1: Total US sales and fan chart forecast of crackers, at current prices, 2011-21
- Nearly all households purchase crackers
-
- Figure 2: Cracker purchase, any purchase, November 2016
- Interest in health claims without sacrificing taste and flavor
-
- Figure 3: Cracker attributes, November 2016
- Crackers enjoy a healthy reputation
-
- Figure 4: Cracker attitudes, health, any agree, November 2016
- Current packaging letting consumers down
-
- Figure 5: Cracker attitudes, packaging, any agree, November 2016
- The opportunities
- Simple and recognizable ingredients
-
- Figure 6: Cracker attitudes, ingredients, any agree, November 2016
- Room for flavor, function innovation
-
- Figure 7: Cracker innovation, flavors and functions, November 2016
- Improved packaging that delivers freshness and on-the-go features
-
- Figure 8: Cracker innovation, packaging, November 2016
- Highlight recipe and meal uses with crackers
-
- Figure 9: Cracker usage, meal and recipe, November 2016
- What it means
The Market – What You Need to Know
-
- Cracker category posts modest growth in 2016, up only 0.8%
- Other crackers segment dominates the category
- Popularity in snacking creates more opportunity, yet more competition
Market Size and Forecast
-
- Cracker sales grow 13% from 2011-16
-
- Figure 10: Total US sales and fan chart forecast of crackers, at current prices, 2011-21
- Figure 11: Total US sales and forecast of crackers, at current prices, 2011-21
Market Breakdown
-
- Other crackers dominate category sales
-
- Figure 12: Total us retail sales of crackers, by segment share, 2016
-
- Figure 13: Total US retail sales and forecast of crackers, by segment, at current prices, 2010-16
- Supermarkets maintain lion’s share of cracker sales
-
- Figure 14: Percentage of us retail sales of crackers, by channel, at current prices, 2011-16
Market Perspective
-
- Competition heats up from all sides
-
- Figure 15: BFY snack attitudes – Agree, June 2016
Market Factors
-
- Interest in healthy eating
-
- Figure 16: Attitudes toward food, by diet status, June 2016
- Core consumers hitting life milestones
-
- Figure 17: Households with own children under age 18, by age of householder, 2016
- Shrinking household size shows signs of rebound
-
- Figure 18: Households, by presence of own children, 2006-16
- Growing Hispanic, Asian populations
-
- Figure 19: US population, by race, 2012-22
Key Players – What You Need to Know
-
- Top four cracker manufacturers dominate the category
- Brands known and not take the health approach
- Wholesome positioning, ingredients make a connection
- Thin for the win
- Alternative bases emerging
Brand Sales of Crackers
-
- Mondelēz continues reign as king of crackers
-
- Figure 20: MULO sales of crackers, by leading companies, rolling 52 weeks 2015 and 2016
What’s Working?
-
- Keeping it real
- Real life connections
-
- Figure 21: MULO sales of Nabisco all other crackers
- Figure 22: TV Ad - Glasses – Ritz
-
- Figure 23: TV Ad - Little Brother – Honey Maid
- Figure 24: MULO sales of Nabisco graham crackers
- Real reformulations
-
- Figure 25: MULO sales of Snyders-Lance crackers with fillings
- Truly real
-
- Figure 26: Cracker product launches, by natural and minus claims, 2011-16*
- Going organic
- Thin is in
-
- Figure 27: MULO sales of Good Thins brand
- Limited edition & seasonal flavors
-
- Figure 28: MULO sales of Triscuit brand
What’s Struggling?
-
- Kellogg brands struggle to grow
- Austin crackers
-
- Figure 29: MULO sales of Austin brand
- Special K
-
- Figure 30: MULO sales of Special K brand
- Saltine crackers dry and outdated
-
- Figure 31: MULO sales of saltine crackers
- Sales of private label crackers continue to decline
-
- Figure 32: MULO sales of private label crackers
What’s Next?
-
- Innovative packaging
- Keep it fresh
- Alternative bases
-
- Figure 33: 2016 cracker launches, by ingredients, 2011-16
- Exotic flavors
- Out of the center
The Consumer – What You Need to Know
-
- Nearly all consumers buy crackers
- Clear and simple
- Packaging improvements due
- Bold flavors, combo-packs spark consumer interest
Cracker Purchase
-
- 92% of consumers purchase crackers
-
- Figure 34: Cracker purchase, any purchase, November 2016
- Nearly half of consumers have established patterns
-
- Figure 35: Cracker behavior, assortment of cracker types and annual cracker purchase, November 2016
- Higher purchase among young adults
-
- Figure 36: More than once a month cracker purchase, by age, November 2016
-
- Figure 37: Cracker behavior, purchasing more crackers than last year, by age, November 2016
-
- Figure 38: Repertoire of type of cracker purchase, by generation, November 2016
- Parents most likely to purchase every type of cracker
-
- Figure 39: Cracker purchase, any purchase, by parental status, November 2016
-
- Figure 40: Cracker purchase, more than once a month, by number of children under 18 in household, November 2016
- Hispanics purchase crackers most frequently
-
- Figure 41: More than once a month cracker purchase, by Hispanic origin, November 2016
-
- Figure 42: Cracker purchase, by Hispanic origin, November 2016
Cracker Attributes
-
- Health takes a backseat to taste and flavor
-
- Figure 43: Cracker attributes, November 2016
- Whole grain, fiber, and real ingredients garner widespread appeal
-
- Figure 44: Cracker types, by attributes, November 2016
- Young adults place importance on brand, older seek specific health cues
-
- Figure 45: Cracker attributes, by generation, November 2016
- Parents more interested in brand and organic claim than non-parents
-
- Figure 46: Cracker attributes, by parental status, November 2016
Behaviors Related to Crackers
-
- Majority of consumers stick with their patterns
-
- Figure 47: Cracker behavior, November 2016
- Younger adults balance indulgent with healthy components
-
- Figure 48: Cracker behavior, indulgent and healthy crackers/toppings, by generation, November 2016
-
- Figure 49: Cracker behavior, by age, November 2016
- Parents seeking new types, uses for crackers
-
- Figure 50: Cracker behavior, by parental status, November 2016
Attitudes about Crackers
-
- Product transparency, taste, and nutrition the perfect balance
-
- Figure 51: Cracker attitudes, any agree, November 2016
- Generation cracker attitudes
- Millennials feel most cracker brands are still too processed
-
- Figure 52: Cracker attitudes, cracker brands too processed, by generation, November 2016
- High reports of stale crackers, Millennials most interested in on-the-go packaging
-
- Figure 53: Cracker attitudes, packaging, by generation, November 2016
- Taste is king for all, younger generations want added flavors and recipe ideas
-
- Figure 54: Cracker attitudes, taste, flavor, and use, by generation, November 2016
- Room to improve ingredients and packaging with parents
-
- Figure 55: Cracker attitudes, by parental status, November 2016
- Hispanics an opportunity for store brand crackers
-
- Figure 56: Cracker attitudes, by Hispanic Origin, November 2016
Cracker Usage
-
- Majority of consumers report eating crackers as a snack
-
- Figure 57: Cracker usage, November 2016
- Different cracker types lend themselves to particular eating occasions
-
- Figure 58: Cracker types, by cracker usage, November 2016
- Brand matters most for recipe use
-
- Figure 59: Cracker usage, by cracker attributes, Brand, November 2016
- Age and cracker use go hand in hand
-
- Figure 60: Cracker usage, by age group, November 2016
- Parents use crackers on-the-go, in recipes
-
- Figure 61: Cracker usage, by parental status, November 2016
Innovation Potential
-
- Consumers seek better packaging, bolder flavors, alternative bases
-
- Figure 62: Cracker innovation, November 2016
- Heavy and light users indicate different areas of interest
-
- Figure 63: Cracker innovation, by purchase frequency, more than once a month, November 2016
-
- Figure 64: Cracker innovation, by purchase frequency, less than once a month, November 2016
- Cracker usage an indicator innovation
-
- Figure 65: Cracker innovation, by cracker usage, on-the-go, November 2016
-
- Figure 66: Cracker innovation, by cracker usage, as an ingredient in a recipe, November 2016
- Offering varied innovation types will reach a majority of consumers
-
- Figure 67: TURF analysis – Cracker innovation areas, November 2016
- Differences in desire among age groups for innovation types
-
- Figure 68: Packaging innovation, by age group, November 2016
-
- Figure 69: Flavor innovation, by age group, November 2016
-
- Figure 70: Benefit and claim innovation, by age group, November 2016
- Parents want easy, indulgent snacks without compromising on health
-
- Figure 71: Cracker innovation, by parental status, November 2016
- Women focus on packaging and health, men on flavors
-
- Figure 72: Cracker innovation, by sex, female preferred, November 2016
-
- Figure 73: Cracker innovation, by sex, male preferred, November 2016
Appendix – Data Sources and Abbreviations
-
- Data sources
- Sales data
- Fan chart forecast
- Consumer survey data
- Abbreviations and terms
- Abbreviations
- Terms
Appendix – TURF Analysis
-
- Methodology
-
- Figure 74: Table - TURF analysis – Crackers innovation areas, November 2016
Appendix – Market
-
-
- Figure 75: Total US retail sales and forecast of crackers, at inflation-adjusted prices, 2011-21
- Figure 76: Total US retail sales and forecast of crackers, by segment, at current prices, 2011-21
- Figure 77: Total US retail sales of crackers, by segment, at current prices, 2014 and 2016
- Figure 78: Total US retail sales and forecast of crackers with fillings, at current prices, 2011-21
-
- Figure 79: Total US retail sales and forecast of graham crackers, at current prices, 2011-21
- Figure 80: Total US retail sales and forecast of saltine crackers, at current prices, 2011-21
- Figure 81: Total US retail sales and forecast of other crackers, at current prices, 2011-21
- Figure 82: Total US retail sales of crackers, by channel, at current prices, 2011-16
-
- Figure 83: Total US retail sales of crackers, by channel, at current prices, 2014 and 2016
- Figure 84: US supermarket sales of crackers, at current prices, 2011-16
- Figure 85: US sales of crackers through other retail channels, at current prices, 2011-16
-
Appendix – Key Players
-
-
- Figure 86: MULO sales of crackers with fillings, by leading companies and brands, rolling 52 weeks 2015 and 2016
- Figure 87: MULO sales of graham crackers, by leading companies and brands, rolling 52 weeks 2015 and 2016
-
- Figure 88: MULO sales of saltine crackers, by leading companies and brands, rolling 52 weeks 2015 and 2016
- Figure 89: MULO sales of other crackers, by leading companies and brands, rolling 52 weeks 2015 and 2016
-
Back to top