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The holidays are approaching quickly and so are the decisions about what’s cooking! 🤔 🍽️

Key Insights

📦 Circana data shows that 23% of those celebrating Christmas plan to order some pre-cooked or ready-to-serve items, while 9% will outsource their entire holiday meal.

From homemade classics to convenient options, holiday meals are evolving with consumer preferences.

So ... Homemade?

Or premade?

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Kristen McLean

Kristen McLean

Senior Executive Director, The Circana Entertainment Knowledge Group

Kristen McLean is the senior executive director of the Circana Entertainment Knowledge Group, a thought leadership collective within the global entertainment vertical. It covers toys, books, video games, juvenile products, and media entertainment.


McLean is a widely recognized expert in licensing and cross-entertainment consumer behavior. She works with a range of Circana’s largest manufacturers, retailers, and media clients to uncover key cultural trends. Her expertise, combined with Circana’s global view of more than 20 industries, helps the world’s leading entertainment companies drive strategic decision-making and understand today’s quickly evolving consumer.

Recent Posts from

Kristen McLean

China Consumer Sentiment Study Foodservice Opportunities with Chinese IP Collaborations

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23 Dec 2025

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China Consumer Sentiment Study Foodservice Opportunities with Chinese IP Collaborations
New movies heavily influenced Chinese IPs.
Top 10 Movies

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19 Dec 2025

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Top 10 Movies
Here are the monthly and YTD top 10 selling DVDs and Blu-ray Discs.
A New Formula for Holiday Shopping

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18 Dec 2025

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A New Formula for Holiday Shopping
The peak holiday shopping days of Black Friday and Cyber Monday have morphed over the past decade, but in my over 40 years in retail, this was the weirdest Black Friday I’ve seen, and Cyber Monday wasn’t all it was cracked up to be either. Beyond the sales results, this year’s shifts have deeper meaning for the future of holiday shopping.
Three Principles of Consumer Behavior for Increasing Brand Equity and Market Growth

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18 Dec 2025

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Three Principles of Consumer Behavior for Increasing Brand Equity and Market Growth
This guide provides five fundamental principles of consumer behavior that are supported by our data and examples of how these principles can be applied.
Top 10 Video Games

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18 Dec 2025

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Top 10 Video Games
In November 2025, U.S. video game spending declined 4% year over year as sharp hardware and accessories drops offset modest content growth, while year-to-date spending rose 1% driven by content and a strong rebound in hardware.
A Complete Guide to Managing and Prioritizing Stockouts in Supply Chains

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16 Dec 2025

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A Complete Guide to Managing and Prioritizing Stockouts in Supply Chains
Stockouts cause frustration across the supply chain, from vendors’ missed opportunities to retailers’ inability to fill shelves and shoppers’ irritation at not finding what they need or want. Indeed, stockouts are more than just empty space where products should be: They lead to lost revenue and eroded brand loyalty.
CPG Private Label value share climbs to 42% across EU6 – rising to 44% in supermarkets, reports Circana 

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16 Dec 2025

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CPG Private Label value share climbs to 42% across EU6 – rising to 44% in supermarkets, reports...
Private Labels now account for 42% of all CPG value sales across the EU6, worth €317 Bn (Circana’s largest European markets – France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Netherlands and UK) and their presence is even stronger in supermarkets, where their value share has reached 44% (€175 Bn). With supermarkets acting as the most influential channel for both Private Labels and Brands, this shift marks a significant moment for the retail landscape.
November Retail Sales Remained Steady but Critical Holiday Shopping Weeks Lack Momentum, Reports Circana

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16 Dec 2025

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November Retail Sales Remained Steady but Critical Holiday Shopping Weeks Lack Momentum, Reports...
Overall retail spending held steady in November, with 1% growth and flat unit demand, but spending on necessities like food continues to take priority, and elevated prices are eroding the consumer’s discretionary spending ability. In the combined four weeks ending Nov. 29, 2025, overall U.S. retail sales revenue grew 1%, while unit demand remained flat once again compared to the same time in 2024. Retail food and beverage sales revenue rose 2%, and unit sales were up 1%. Non-edible consumer pack
How Do You Measure Sales and Revenue Leakage to Competitors in Retail?

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16 Dec 2025

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How Do You Measure Sales and Revenue Leakage to Competitors in Retail?
Measuring sales and revenue leakage is crucial for both retailers and manufacturers because it offers insights into opportunities for maximizing sales and pursuing growth. Leakage isn’t just a number; it’s a signal. For retailers, leakage means lapsed customers, lost trips, and lost baskets. For brands, it means share slipping to competitors. The challenge isn’t knowing leakage exists; it’s measuring it accurately across every channel. That means understanding the omnishopper: how brick-and-mort
Welcome to the CPG Consumer Spend Tracker

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15 Dec 2025

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Welcome to the CPG Consumer Spend Tracker
Monitoring the impact of macroeconomic factors, including tariffs, on volume, price, and supply in U.S. CPG.
How to Identify Which Product Features Your Customers Care Most About

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15 Dec 2025

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How to Identify Which Product Features Your Customers Care Most About
Nowadays, most consumers are very savvy, empowered shoppers. For a customer to develop a genuine relationship with a product that leads to either loyalty or repurchase, product features must speak to four central areas: functionality, appearance, performance, and added value.
How Historical Data Helps Improve Demand Forecasting and RFPs

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15 Dec 2025

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How Historical Data Helps Improve Demand Forecasting and RFPs
What happened in the past has always been a basis of predictions for the future. In the consumer packaged goods (CPG) and retailer world, if things don’t turn out as forecast, the result is waste, stockouts, and thinner margins, along with dissatisfied customers. If a projection is on target, however, businesses can optimize inventory, boost revenue, and keep customers happy.
Countdown to New Year’s Eve Trends

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12 Dec 2025

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Countdown to New Year’s Eve Trends
Some of the holiday leftovers and cookies may still be in the fridge and on the counter, but seasonal soirées continue through December 31. As people get ready to officially welcome 2026, many are again heading out of the house to pick up items for at-home gatherings or to dine out at a restaurant.
How to Deliver your Marketing Mix Model in a Timely Manner

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12 Dec 2025

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How to Deliver your Marketing Mix Model in a Timely Manner
Marketing Mix Modeling (MMM) enables companies to measure the effectiveness of each marketing tactic so they can understand the impact of their efforts on sales across the business. It is a valuable measurement tool that allows businesses to connect the dots between creative, audience, reach and frequency, brand equity, marketing channels, trade, and retail spend. Organizations with a disciplined approach to MMM can improve ROI as much as 10% to 15% annually. 
How To Optimize Your Audiences for Retail Media Spending

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12 Dec 2025

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How To Optimize Your Audiences for Retail Media Spending
Retail media networks (RMNs) have become an important part of today’s omnichannel strategies, offering brands new and effective ways to engage with consumers at pivotal points in their shopping journey. To achieve a high incremental return on ad spend (iROAS), the focus must shift from simply spending more to investing budgets wisely. This hinges on a strategic approach to audience optimization, built on data and a commitment to continuous improvement. By refining how you define, segment, and en
The Importance of Near Real-Time On-Shelf Visibility 

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11 Dec 2025

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The Importance of Near Real-Time On-Shelf Visibility 
It sounds so simple, and it’s always been true in the consumer packaged goods (CPG) and retail world: If a product isn’t available on the shelf at the moment of decision, the sale is lost. Manufacturers and retailers miss an opportunity to increase revenue and, importantly, foster brand loyalty.
Targeting Strategies for Generational Consumer Segments

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11 Dec 2025

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Targeting Strategies for Generational Consumer Segments
Timing is key for channel and messaging strategies aimed at generations. In general, the goal is to catch people early in the path to purchase.
Beauty Sales Sparkle in Holiday 2025

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10 Dec 2025

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Beauty Sales Sparkle in Holiday 2025
Circana’s research affirms that all prestige beauty categories experienced upticks on the pivotal Black Friday occasion, and ongoing growth is expected through the fourth quarter. Some segments are performing especially well, as consumers pick up items for gift-giving and for themselves, whether for self-care during this often-stressful time of year or to shimmer at holiday celebrations.
Circana Announces Ian Hamilton as President of General Merchandise

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10 Dec 2025

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Circana Announces Ian Hamilton as President of General Merchandise
Ian has consistently demonstrated outstanding leadership, strategic vision, and an unwavering commitment to excellence throughout his nearly two decades with NPD and Circana. His deep understanding of our clients’ needs, combined with his proven track record of driving growth and innovation, makes him the ideal leader to guide our general merchandise division into its next phase of expansion.
Glad Tidings or “Bah, Humbug?” How Consumers are Feeling and Spending Across Categories This Season

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10 Dec 2025

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Glad Tidings or “Bah, Humbug?” How Consumers are Feeling and Spending Across Categories This Season
It’s not a Scrooge-like era, but lingering economic pressures continue to impact shopper sentiment.
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