Leading product categories consumers expect to buy in the U.S. 2024

In 2024, approximately half of consumers surveyed in the U.S. said they expected food to be one of their top five most frequent purchases. About a third of U.S. consumers expected apparel and footwear to make their top five that year, and approximately a quarter of consumers were not sure what to expect from their spending.

How much are Americans spending on food?

Consumers in the United States spend billions of dollars on groceries each year. In 2023, the majority of Americans spent an average of 51 to 200 U.S. dollars every time they went grocery shopping. Including other sources of food, the average American household spends a large amount on food each year.

Food – and other goods – are getting more expensive

The United States food inflation rate peaked in 2022, and inflation has had a big impact on consumer behavior at the grocery store. Though about half of American consumers plan to purchase food frequently in 2024, an overwhelming majority of them were shopping mindfully as recently as March 2023. Many consumers have left products on the shelf due to their prices being higher than usual.