The October Barcode: The great apple VS pumpkin pie debate

Image credit: Sensibill

The Barcode Report delivers the world’s deepest and most relevant insights on everyday consumer spending. We break down spend data into digestible and actionable facts, highlighting key trends that go beyond what you’d learn from simple card statements. We leverage item-level receipt data accumulated from millions of users across our network of banks, credit unions and technology partners. The Barcode dives beneath the surface of “how much was spent and where” and provides a true look at what consumers and small businesses are spending their money on.

For October, we set out to determine which pie is on everyone’s Thanksgiving list, whether people host at home or dine out, and other spends we can uncover. A few trends might surprise you!

Travelling & eating out are Thanksgiving traditions in Canada 🍽️

When we looked at SKU-level data, we found that grocery shopping makes up 30% of a consumer’s spending in the days leading up to Thanksgiving Day. However, on Thanksgiving Day, 72% of a consumer’s expense occurs in ordering takeout or eating out. 

Thanksgiving in Canada is not only about eating - it's also for hiking and meeting up with family and friends. Travel expenses during this time also increased by 175%. 

Image credit: Sensibill Data Lab

Preparation for the perfect cranberry sauce begins 10 days before Canadian Thanksgiving 

For those preparing a Thanksgiving meal at home, preparations start as early as 10 days before. When we looked at SKU level data we found that consumer spending on cranberries experienced an increase of 244% in this period, while consumer spending on marshmallows increased by 233% during the same period. Consumer spending in both these categories drastically drops in the days following Thanksgiving.

Image credit: Sensibill Data Lab

Apple pie beat out pumpkin pie for 2 years running as a Canadian Thanksgiving favourite 🥧 

Surprisingly, in the days leading up to Thanksgiving, consumer spend on pies is only a 2% increase compared to other months. However, the age-old war between apple pies and pumpkin pies is probably here to stay. When we looked at our SKU-level data, we found that apple pies have been topping the list amongst consumers since 2019. Pumpkin pies on the other hand, fell one rank after 2018.

We’ll have to see where the pies rank after Thanksgiving 2021! Can pumpkin make a comeback? 

Image credit: Sensibill Data Lab

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Thanksgiving marks the beginning of shopping season in U.S. 🛍️

In the US, Thanksgiving marks the beginning of the holiday season. On Thanksgiving day, consumers’ spend on general merchandise drops by 20% momentarily, only to increase by 75% in the days following Thanksgiving, but drops by 58% 2 weeks after Thanksgiving. After all, Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals are tough to stay away from. 

Image credit: Sensibill Data Lab

Having Friends & Family over for food and drinks is a U.S. Thanksgiving tradition 🍷

Cooking a large meal and serving friends and family, with the turkey as a centerpiece, is a defining tradition of American Thanksgiving. When we looked at SKU-level data from our receipts, we found that consumer spends on serveware increased by 16% in the days leading up to Thanksgiving. This signals the preparation for having friends and family over for a meal.  Further, turkey purchases increase by 19% in the preparatory days leading up to Thanksgiving. After all, cooking a turkey requires a great deal of planning and days of preparation.

While most consumers buy their Thanksgiving turkey well in advance, 8% of consumers buy their turkeys on the day of Thanksgiving. 31% of these consumers also end up dining out or ordering food. 

Image credit: Sensibill Data Lab

Apple pie reigns supreme against pumpkin pie in the U.S. 🍎 🎃

Pies are a staple during Thanksgiving. Consumer spending on pies saw an increase of 21% during Thanksgiving. This continues to increase even after Thanksgiving by 6 to 7 times more. When we looked into SKU-level data we found that apple pies have been consumers’ top preference in pies since 2018. Pumpkin pies on the contrary, dropped 3 ranks in 2019, but did regain their second place in 2020. 

Image credit: Sensibill Data Lab

So, let us know… are you team apple pie or team pumpkin pie? 🍎 🎃

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