Since the pandemic began, Americans, and shoppers worldwide, have seen a huge trend in the items many people deem as essential. First of all, we saw shortages of toilet paper as many people stockpiled ready for lockdown or self-isolation. Bidet attachments (opens in new tab) became more popular as shoppers looked for an alternative to toilet paper. Next came a rise in baking essentials like flour, yeast and eggs, as well as pasta and store cupboard ingredients. Bread makers (opens in new tab) and stand mixers (opens in new tab) were also hard to come by as so many people looked for alternative ways to create these everyday essential food items at home. April 2020 saw a rise in sales of hair clippers (opens in new tab) by 166% in just one week, with hair coloring products also soaring in sales as people turned to home hair care as many hair salons remain closed. Many of these products are still popular but as the weeks go on, the shopping trends are changing too. For the last week in April 2020 and leading into the first week of May, here’s what shoppers are buying.
Hand sanitizer
Unsurprisingly hand sanitizer has remained an essential staple for many shoppers during the coronavirus pandemic, however, the last week of April saw hand sanitizer take the number one spot for week-over-week growth, according to Nielsen’s study. The rise is a second wave boom in popularity for hand sanitizer as it’s thought that shoppers are now restocking after initially buying hand sanitizer at the start of the outbreak. For other ways to protect yourself, check out our Homemade face masks 101: The ultimate guide to cloth face coverings (opens in new tab).
Oat milk and meat alternatives
Oat milk had a whopping 307.8% week-over-week growth in the last week of April 2020, according to Nielsen and fresh meat alternatives weren’t too far behind with a growth of 224.3%. The growth is expected to be due to shoppers looking for cupboard items that have better longevity than fresh milk and meat.
Frozen food
Frozen food is the biggest growing in-store department, even weeks into the pandemic. Last week, we reported a shortage of frozen pizza (opens in new tab) as it was revealed Americans have purchased $275 million worth of frozen pizza since the coronavirus outbreak began in March 2020. If you need more space to store your frozen food, check out our round up of the best freezers (opens in new tab).
Household care
Nielsen also reported a 50.9% rise in sales of household care products compared to this time last year. Most shoppers are having to take extra care to keep themselves safe from COVID-19 so it’s no wonder disinfectants, cleaning products and appliances like steam mops (opens in new tab) and carpet cleaners (opens in new tab) seem like sensible purchases at the moment. If you’re looking for ways to keep your household healthy, check out our feature on how to deep clean your home while self-isolating (opens in new tab). Or if you’re worried about how to stay safe when shopping, read our guide on cleaning your groceries due to the coronavirus (opens in new tab).
