Are Discounts and Sales the Best Way To Improve Flagging Consumer Appetite for Snack Foods?

Despite everyone generally sharing an interest in snack foods — chips, candy, chocolate bars, and beyond — American consumers appear to be losing interest in purchasing from this category, at least in the traditional sense.

Modern Retail cited data coming from NielsenIQ (NIQ) and InMarket indicating that U.S. snackers were cutting back on their spend surrounding sweet and savory treats in the segment, with many waiting for a dip in price before committing to buy.

"Major conglomerates like General Mills and Campbell’s are already experiencing a slowdown in their snack categories, and the slowdown in the category could get even worse as tariffs drive price increases," reporter Gabriela Barkho wrote.

"Data from firms like NielsenIQ and InMarket show that customers are waiting to purchase these discretionary items at a discount, or are open to switching to private label versions. With that, grocery retailers and brands are luring customers with discounts and deals on items like ice cream, chips and cookies," she added.

US Consumers Sticking to Their Shopping Lists, Turning Down the Usual Impulse Buys

It appears that a more discerning and potentially cash-strapped consumer is walking away from the siren's call of the impulse aisle snack purchase more frequently as of late.

In February, per a recent NIQ grocery survey, 42% of respondents indicated that they were snacking less than they had in 2024. Furthermore, more than one-third (37%) of those surveyed suggested that they were hunting for a bargain when considering a snack purchase.

Barkho quoted Chris Costagli, VP of food insights at NielsenIQ, on the matter.

"We know that about 52% of consumers are looking for deals more often. Forty-four percent say they’re really cutting back on non-essentials, and you’ll see that snacks fall into that space," Costagli said.

What's more: Shoppers were exhibiting more focus on items they'd already planned to buy in advance, frequently nixing "nice to have" items in favor of essentials or long-desired products.

"We’re seeing consumers pulling back on impulse purchasing, so they’re sticking a lot closer to their shopping list and trying not to deviate from it," he added.

And many are also purchasing in bulk and portioning their snacks at home, rather than buying a treat-sized bag at the checkout or in the snack food and soda aisle — 19% said as much, per the NIQ survey.

"Rather than going to the store and buying packaged snack options, for example, they’re buying nuts in bulk and portioning those out into individual snacking sizes," Costagli concluded.

Are Price Cuts and Discounts the Best Way To Induce Snack Purchases?

The question of whether slashing prices and offering discounts or promotional offers is the best way to drive spend in the snack food category remains. Certainly, that's what Frito-Lay began doing last year when facing stagnant sales due to price-conscious customers, as Fortune detailed.

"Years of persistent inflation have created 'tighter household financial conditions,' [Frito-Lay parent] PepsiCo management said in prepared remarks. Now, as customers have become more 'value-conscious,' the snack giant’s performance is 'subdued,' Fortune's Eva Roytburg wrote.

Frito-Lay opted to cut prices for some of its salty snacks and to produce relevant marketing for others, with PepsiCo chairman and CEO Ramon Laguarta telling investors on a call, "There is some value to be given back to consumers after three or four years of a lot of inflation."

That could be the right move, at least according to InMarket’s 2025 Grocery Staples report. Shoppers are not only increasingly price savvy or sensitive but also switching where they shop, moving to warehouse clubs and dollar stores in significant numbers when it comes to purchases of coffee, candy, dairy, and other staple treats.

“Consumers have shifted to purchasing more items at a discount, especially within more nice-to-have categories,” said Michael Della Penna, chief strategy officer at InMarket, per Modern Retail.

“We’re finding that a greater percentage of those sales are happening on sale. People love those treats, but they’re not going to buy them at full price when stretching that dollar," he added.