Whether they’re grilling or not this Labor Day, nine in 10 consumers plan to buy food and 55% plan to buy alcohol beverages, according to Chicago-based data and tech company Numerator.
Specifically, those celebrating plan to buy hamburgers (83%), hot dogs (67%), chicken (60%) and steak (41%), according to Numerator’s 2023 Labor Day Intentions Preview, which identifies consumers’ celebration, shopping and spending plans for the holiday.
Three-fifths of consumers plan to grill, making it the top celebration intention for 2023, Numerator said.
“While the same amount of Labor Day celebrants plan to grill this year as last year (61%), celebrations are shifting away from attending or hosting a gathering/party (41% in 2023 vs. 53% in 2022) to plans such as cooking/baking (26% vs. 20%), recreational activities (21% vs 12%), traveling (19% vs. 13%), and watching fireworks (16% vs 10%),” the company said.
On the alcohol side of things, the top planned purchases are beer (74%), hard seltzers (34%), and wine (33%), Numerator said.
When it comes to making all of these purchases, 86% of consumers anticipate taking money-saving measures for the holiday, including buying items on sale (54%), preparing more budget-friendly meals (35%), using more coupons (32%), switching to store brands (23%) and visiting dollar or discount stores (20%).
However, fewer consumers plan to celebrate Labor Day this year, 60% in 2023 vs. 75% in 2022, but plans for recreational activities and travel are on the rise. Nearly three-quarters of celebrants plan to purchase beer for the holiday, and throughout summer 2023, beer remained the top alcohol beverage with sales up 11.7% and share up 1.6 points vs. summer 2022.
Other consumer sentiment findings:
Expected inflation impact remained steady throughout the summer, and 42% of consumers expect rising prices to impact their Labor Day plans, a percentage that remains unchanged from the beginning of summer (Memorial Day Weekend).
Almost all, 98%, celebrants plan to buy something for Labor Day. Among non-food planned purchases, 16% plan to buy party supplies, 12% decorations, 10% games/activities and 8% apparel.
Numerator’s 2023 Labor Day survey polled 518 people from Aug. 2 to 7.
Members help make our journalism possible. Become a CSP member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.