Insights are served: the food and beverage trends to know now

Over the last year, there’s been a huge shift in the way people live, work, shop, and approach their everyday lifestyles. People are making mealtimes an occasion—from the everyday to making meaningful moments—and their satisfaction is going beyond just having a tasty meal.

Searches on Pinterest show that people are making more informed food choices as well as watching their spending. For example, we’ve seen a 320% increase in searches for ‘budget meals’—and we’ve also seen rises in searches for ‘cheap dinners for a family’ and ‘cheap healthy meals’.¹

Whilst people are keeping a close eye on the purse strings—they’re also keen to try new things. They’re planning ahead, discovering food and drink trends, trying new products, and making mealtimes a moment for them and their loved ones.

Help people plan the perfect menu
People on Pinterest are on the hunt for inspiration—they’re not coming to Pinterest for likes, or to see what everyone else is doing—they’re in search of a visual feast to fuel their imaginations. They’re planning for the everyday as well as special events and moments. And when shoppers find something they love, they spend and buy more.

A recent Nielsen analysis of CPG campaigns in the US and UK discovered that Pinterest delivers more than 30% higher ROAS than other digital platforms—and Pinterest shoppers will spend 40% more per month than people on other platforms.²

Cater to your audience
People who use Pinterest are experimental and are open to new ideas. They’re seeking out the trends and want to try new experiences—for them, or friends, or for all the family to enjoy.

In recent research, we discovered that Gen Z and Millennials who used Pinterest regularly were 40% more likely to have purchased new food and beverage products—while 8 in 10 Gen X users said they like to keep well informed about the products they buy, rather than making impulsive decisions.³

Create meaningful moments
People are planning ahead for all events and seasons. Over the past year, we’ve seen a rise in searches for ‘family dinner recipes’, ‘romantic date night ideas’, ‘summer party food’, 'garden dinner party’, ‘christmas dinner party’.¹

Be ready to tap into key cultural moments too. In our latest Pinterest Predicts report, we predicted that the nation’s favourite Cuppa time would become a moment—and it’s already here. Searches for ‘tea party aesthetic’ and ‘drinking tea pose’ have climbed across all age groups—and with the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee fast approaching, we’re sure to be seeing more of this trend filling our feeds.

Make sure your brand shows up in that moment of discovery—people are searching for your products, and they’re primed to take action.

Cut through the competition
There are many different ways to show up on Pinterest. Food brand? Share tea-party recipes. Entertainment brand? Make a playlist. Stationery brand? Design invites. Video ads are also a great way to cut through on a competitive feed.

Companies like Nestlé are already doing it. To spread the word about their Garden Gourmet brand’s new vegan burger in the UK, Nestlé served up the goods in a variety of engaging Pinterest video ads. Using search interest, keyword targeting, and mouthwatering creative with Pinterest’s best practices, they drove both brand awareness and purchase intent with customers.⁵

Elsewhere, non-alcoholic drinks brand Seedlip set out their stall early in the festive season, catching the attention of Pinterest’s ever-growing audience of sustainability and health conscious consumers from the get-go. Their eye-catching product ads, cocktail-making videos and recipes earned the brand strong reach and efficient CPMs, setting them up for ‘Dry January’ success.⁶

Meanwhile, Galaxy turned to Pinterest to unveil their new packaging design. Creating a range of bold, colourful videos—this campaign stopped scrollers in their tracks and whet the appetite of the nation. The result? 2 in 3 regular chocolate buyers said they now plan to buy Galaxy after seeing the campaign.⁷

Act on the insights