With the winter holidays fast approaching, grocery shoppers are carefully planning and finalizing their menus. While the protein entree — from Thanksgiving turkey to Christmas ham — tends to steal the spotlight in grocers’ holiday meal deals, dessert is another key part of the festivities.
Certain flavors like pumpkin and apple are seasonal classics. But grocers are finding ways to dish up innovative dessert ideas this year, from mini pies to twists on traditional flavors.
As consumers grocery shop for winter holiday meals, grocers are hoping to get a boost to dessert sales in their bakery departments.
Data insights
Desserts are the biggest seller in grocers’ bakery departments yet the only category to not record an increase in dollar sales over the last 52 weeks ending Sept. 7, according to NielsenIQ data cited by FMI — The Food Industry Association in its latest bakery report. Desserts in the bakery aisles recorded a 2.2% dip in unit sales — the largest decrease in units across bakery categories.
When it comes to Thanksgiving, a survey by The Harris Poll on behalf of Instacart found consumers’ dessert preferences can vary quite a bit from region to region.
Apple pie is most favored in the Northeast, with 50% in the region claiming it as their top favorite compared to 42% who said the same in the South and 39% in the Midwest and West. Pecan pie is one of the least favorite Thanksgiving dishes across the U.S. but is popular in the South, where 40% said they crave it. The findings were based on a survey of 2,077 adults Sept. 19-23.
Preferences for scratch-made or premade pies also vary dramatically across the country, Instacart said.
Wyoming, West Virginia, New Mexico, Alaska and Kentucky saw purchases for ready-made pies increase last year, according to Instacart data from 2023. Meanwhile, Mississippi, Arkansas, North Carolina, West Virginia and Missouri were the top states to order pie crusts and fillings last year, indicating people there were probably making pies from scratch, Instacart found.
Stand out grocers
Simplifying dessert planning
To help make meal planning easier, Wegmans has a “Plan the Perfect Thanksgiving” section on the main page of its website with “Delicious Desserts” as an option. The page takes consumers to a curated list of sweet treat options ready to add to their online carts. The selection includes private label French vanilla ice cream, cookies, cheesecake and premade pies such as pumpkin, apple, peanut butter, pecan and chocolate cream.
Luxurious recipes
For the at-home bakers, Gelson’s Market has a selection of nine recipes that give Thanksgiving desserts an elevated flair befitting for the upscale Southern California grocery chain. The recipes span flavors and presentations with options including pumpkin bars with cream cheese frosting, cream puffs, peach cobbler, nutmeg-maple cream pie and vegan pumpkin pie. The variety means people can make several of these recipes and serve more than just pie to satisfy guests with a sweet tooth.
Classics with a twist
While Trader Joe’s is known for its flavor innovation, during the holidays the grocery chain is serving up products that have traditional flavors — with a twist. The grocer’s website highlights its limited-time Tenny Tiny Pecan Pies in its bakery section. The package contains four mini pies that are 3 inches in diameter that the grocer says “will satisfy Pecan Pie cravings without the commitment to a full-size pie.”
The grocer’s latest flyer spotlights a pumpkin pie milkshake recipe that takes 10 minutes to make and offers a pairing suggestion: its premade Apple Crumble Pie heated in the oven with Triple Creme Brie with Calvados on top.
Making the most
Pumpkin pie reigns supreme
While the grocery bill for the average Thanksgiving meal has a mix of savings and cost increases this year, the costs of key pumpkin pie ingredients have dropped compared to last year according to the American Farm Bureau Federation.
At $4.15, a 30-ounce can of pumpkin pie mix costs 29 cents less than it did in 2023 while a package of two pie shells/crusts dropped 10 cents to $3.40. Half a pint of whipped cream, however, is up 8 cents to $1.81.
Pumpkin pie was the only dessert to make the top five must-haves for Thanksgiving, coming in fourth place, according to consumers surveyed by 84.51º, Kroger’s retail and data science, insights and media arm. The enduring popularity of the dessert signals opportunities for grocers to include it as a staple in their holiday savings.
Boosting convenience
Grocers’ apps and websites make it clear that retailers aim to help make holiday meal planning easier for consumers, from Target’s one-click shoppable Thanksgiving dinner basket to dessert recipe collections to curated lists of sweet treats for holiday dinners.
As grocers lean into convenience, shoppable recipes featuring private label products can help marry time-saving shopping with higher-margin items — a win-win for retailers and consumers.
