Data is starting to trickle in about how consumers’ shopping habits shifted during the World Cup. A new study from Walmart shows how its soccer-watching consumers planned to grocery shop during the World Cup, from how much they would spend to what kind of snacks they would buy — and the company has seen some of these results validated over the course of the tournament.
About half of consumers who identified as soccer fans expected to increase grocery spending by at least 25% during major match weeks, Walmart found through surveys in June, according to its analytics arm Walmart Data Ventures. These surveys included 1,021 both casual and dedicated soccer fans who were members of the Walmart Customer Spark Community.
“The findings reflect a broad cross-section of engagement levels, which is part of what makes the behavior shifts we saw so relevant for brands looking to reach everyday shoppers during major cultural moments,” Nicole Ryner, group director of business strategy at Walmart Data Ventures, told Modern Retail in an email. “The biggest takeaway is that brands need insights that help them anticipate and evolve with demand, not just explain it after the fact. We’ve seen incredible energy from customers throughout the tournament — from watch party spreads to stocking up on favorite snacks and drinks — and near real-time, predictive insights help brands adapt as those shopping behaviors evolve.”
