Table of Contents
Overview
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- What you need to know
- Definition
Executive Summary
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- The issues
- Cracker sales fall in 2017
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- Figure 1: Total US retail sales and fan chart forecast of crackers, at current prices, 2012-22
- Crackers are a pantry staple
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- Figure 2: Cracker purchase, November 2017
- Heightened snacking competition
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- Figure 3: Snack perceptions, healthy and indulgent, November 2017
- The opportunities
- Bolster crackers’ flexibility of uses
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- Figure 4: Cracker occasions, November 2017
- Room to improve packaging
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- Figure 5: Ideal cracker claims and attributes, packaging features, November 2017
- Premium and BFY formats
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- Figure 6: Cracker format attitudes, November 2017
- What it means
The Market – What You Need to Know
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- Cracker sales falter
- No segment immune to decline
- Intense snacking competition
Market Size and Forecast
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- Sales slowdown continues in crackers category
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- Figure 7: Total US retail sales and fan chart forecast of crackers, at current prices, 2012-22
- Figure 8: Total US retail sales and forecast of crackers, at current prices, 2012-22
Market Breakdown
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- All segments struggle
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- Figure 9: Total US market share of crackers, by segment, at current prices, 2017
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- Figure 10: Total US retail sales and forecast of crackers, by segment, at current prices, 2012-22
- Supermarkets dominate sales of crackers
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- Figure 11: Total US market share of crackers, by channel, at current prices, 2017
Market Perspective
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- Competition from outside categories
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- Figure 12: Total US retail sales of snack categories, percent change, 2014-16
Market Factors
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- Majority of US consumers snack daily
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- Figure 13: Snacking frequency, March 2017
- Desire for clean, nutritious food
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- Figure 14: Lifestyle statements: attitudes/opinions about food, healthy eating – Any agree
- Number of households with children falls
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- Figure 15: Households, by presence of own children, 2007-17
Key Players – What You Need to Know
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- Top companies account for majority of category sales
- Different methods used to communicate health
- Not-so-sweet sales for graham crackers
- Improved packaging features
Company and Brand Sales of Crackers
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- Mondelēz and Kellogg make up more than half of category sales
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- Figure 16: Multi-outlet sales of crackers, by leading companies, rolling 52-weeks 2016 and 2017
- Figure 17: Multi-outlet market share of cracker segments, by leading brands, 52-weeks ending October 8, 2017
What’s Working?
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- Thin and crispy
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- Figure 18: Mutli-outlet sales of “other” crackers, by thins or crisps, rolling 52-weeks 2016 and 2017
- Implying wholesomeness
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- Figure 19: Mutli-outlet sales of crackers, by GMO-free, no additives/preservatives, and gluten-free, rolling 52-weeks 2016 and 2017
- Figure 20: Cracker launches, by GMO-free and no additives/preservatives, 2015-17
- Figure 21: Crunchmaster online video: “Our Story – Abby”
- Cheese please
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- Figure 22: Purchase intent of crackers with real cheese claim
- Figure 23: Purchase intent, by crackers with cheese flavor and crackers with cheese ingredient, January 2017-December 2017
- Guilt-free snacking
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- Figure 24: Mutli-outlet sales of crackers, by low/no/reduced fat and low/no/reduced saturated fat, rolling 52-weeks 2016 and 2017
- Figure 25: Cracker launches, by low/no/reduced fat and low/no/reduced saturated fat, 2015-17
- Engaging consumers with unique cracker uses
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- Figure 26: Lifestyle statements: attitudes/opinions about food, read recipes that come with products – Any agree
- Figure 27: Ritz Crackers TV advertisement: “You’ve Got The Stuff - Summer”
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- Figure 28: Crunchmaster Crackers online video: “Crunchmaster Crackers”
- Figure 29: Simple Mills online video: “Sprouted Cracker Snack Ideas”
What’s Struggling?
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- Graham crackers struggle
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- Figure 30: Mutli-outlet sales of graham crackers, by declining sales, rolling 52-weeks 2016 and 2017
- Figure 31: Multi-outlet sales of graham crackers, by leading companies and brands, rolling 52-weeks 2016 and 2017
- Private label sales down across most segments
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- Figure 32: Multi-outlet sales of crackers category and segments, by private label brands, rolling 52-weeks 2016 and 2017
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- Figure 33: Purchase intent of private label crackers
What’s Next?
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- Protein power
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- Figure 34: Cracker launches, by high/added protein, 2015-17
- Resealable and transparent packaging
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- Figure 35: Cracker launches, by resealable/reclosable claim, 2015-17
- Sophisticated flavors
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- Figure 36: Cracker launches, by flavor component, 2015-17
- Seasonal sweetness
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- Figure 37: Sweet Biscuits/Cookie launches, by sweet crackers, excluding graham crackers, 2015-17
- Unique bases and textures
The Consumer – What You Need to Know
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- Nearly universal purchase of crackers
- Reputation for flexibility
- Opportunity for BFY, indulgent, and premium crackers
- Packaging enhancements needed
Cracker Purchase
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- Nearly all consumers purchase crackers
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- Figure 38: Cracker purchase, November 2017
- Most consumers buy multiple cracker types
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- Figure 39: Repertoire of cracker purchase, November 2017
- Life stage influential to purchase of crackers
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- Figure 40: Cracker purchase, any crackers, by age, parental status, and number of children under 18 in household, November 2017
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- Figure 41: Repertoire of cracker purchase, by age, parental status, and number of children under 18 in household, November 2017
Cracker Occasions
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- Crackers make for versatile snacks
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- Figure 42: Cracker occasions, November 2017
- Parents enjoy crackers for variety of occasions
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- Figure 43: Cracker occasions, by parental status, November 2017
- Men seek satiety, women a snack
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- Figure 44: Cracker occasions, by gender and age, November 2017
Cracker Format Attitudes
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- Format and flavor drive reputation, intended uses
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- Figure 45: Cracker format attitudes, November 2017
- Health aspects of crackers appeal to young adults
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- Figure 46: Cracker format attitudes, by age, November 2017
- Younger, more affluent consumers willing to pay more for premium
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- Figure 47: Cracker format attitudes, would pay more for premium crackers, by age and income, November 2017
- Variety of cracker formats appeal to parents
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- Figure 48: Cracker format attitudes, by parental status, November 2017
- Hispanics look to format for health cues
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- Figure 49: Cracker format attitudes, by Hispanic origin, November 2017
Snack Perceptions
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- Crackers emerge as most versatile
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- Figure 50: Correspondence analysis – Snack perceptions, November 2017
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- Figure 51: Snack perceptions, November 2017
- Older consumers continue to value core strengths of crackers
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- Figure 52: Snack perceptions, crackers, by age, November 2017
- Crackers an affordable healthy snack
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- Figure 53: Snack perceptions, crackers, by household income, November 2017
- Opportunity to improve taste for Hispanic Millennials
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- Figure 54: Snack perceptions, tasty, by Hispanic generations, November 2017
Ideal Cracker Flavors
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- More than half of consumers choose cheese as ideal cracker flavor
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- Figure 55: Ideal cracker flavors, November 2017
- Younger men want crackers with bold flavors
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- Figure 56: Ideal cracker flavors, by gender and age, November 2017
Ideal Cracker Ingredients
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- Cheese is most popular cracker ingredient
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- Figure 57: Ideal cracker ingredients, November 2017
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- Figure 58: Ideal cracker ingredients, by select ideal cracker flavors, cheesy and sweet, November 2017
Ideal Cracker Claims and Attributes
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- Packaging innovation tops product attributes
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- Figure 59: Ideal cracker claims and attributes, November 2017
- Age drives preferred cracker attributes and claims
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- Figure 60: Ideal cracker claims and attributes, by age, November 2017
- Parents seek convenience and nutrition, non-parents reclosable feature
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- Figure 61: Ideal cracker claims and attributes, by parental status, November 2017
Appendix – Data Sources and Abbreviations
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- Data sources
- Sales data
- Fan chart forecast
- Consumer survey data
- Abbreviations and terms
- Abbreviations
- Terms
Appendix – The Market
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- Figure 62: Total US retail sales and forecast of crackers, at inflation-adjusted prices, 2012-22
- Figure 63: Total US retail sales and forecast of crackers, by segment, at current prices, 2012-22
- Figure 64: Total US retail sales of crackers, by segment, at current prices, 2015 and 2017
- Figure 65: Total US retail sales and forecast of crackers with fillings, at current prices, 2012-22
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- Figure 66: Total US retail sales and forecast of crackers with fillings, at inflation-adjusted prices, 2012-22
- Figure 67: Total US retail sales and forecast of graham crackers, at current prices, 2012-22
- Figure 68: Total US retail sales and forecast of graham crackers, at inflation-adjusted prices, 2012-22
- Figure 69: Total US retail sales and forecast of saltine crackers, at current prices, 2012-22
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- Figure 70: Total US retail sales and forecast of saltine crackers, at inflation-adjusted prices, 2012-22
- Figure 71: Total US retail sales and forecast of “other” crackers, at current prices, 2012-22
- Figure 72: Total US retail sales and forecast of “other” crackers, at inflation-adjusted prices, 2012-22
- Figure 73: Total US retail sales of crackers, by channel, at current prices, 2012-2017
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- Figure 74: Total US retail sales of crackers, by channel, at current prices, 2015 and 2017
- Figure 75: US supermarket sales of crackers, at current prices, 2012-17
- Figure 76: US sales of crackers through other retail channels, at current prices, 2012-17
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Appendix – Key Players
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- Figure 77: Multi-outlet sales of crackers with fillings, by leading companies and brands, rolling 52 weeks 2016 and 2017
- Figure 78: Multi-outlet sales of saltine crackers, by leading companies and brands, rolling 52 weeks 2016 and 2017
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- Figure 79: Multi-outlet sales of “other” crackers, by leading companies and brands, rolling 52 weeks 2016 and 2017
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