top of page
Top Nav.jpg

Solutions

Solutions-bg-image.jpg

Not sure where to start?

Now you can uncover the right solution for your business within a few clicks.

We measure demand so our clients understand where they have risks and opportunities.

FEATURED

Analyze sales performances across channels.

Consumer demographics and preferences.

See actual behaviors for actionable results.

Consumption — in and away from home.

We help our clients accelerate demand by focusing on the best opportunities for the greatest impact on their business.

FEATURED

Diagnostic, predictive, and prescriptive insights.

Reach the right audience at the right time.

Maximize every media dollar.

Improve retailer-supplier efficiency & effectiveness.

Resources

purple-gradient2.jpg
Spend-Tracker-Thumbnail.png

CPG Consumer Spend Tracker

Download our weekly U.S. consumer packaged goods sector monitoring report.

New strategies and tactics.

Circana's official announcements.

Circana in the press.

Industry rankings vs. previous data period.

Deep expertise from global industry leaders.

Perspectives from our industry and thought leaders.

A curriculum to address your needs.

Solving challenges that matter to your business.

Growth-Insights-header1.jpg

Join Circana thought leaders, industry partners, and guests to learn how opportunities, trends, and market disruptions will impact your business.

The Hybrid Life Means Big Opportunity for Small-appliance Innovation

Posted in:

Category

Joe Derochowski

Vice President and Industry Advisor, Home and Home Improvement

Some days feel like a return to pre-pandemic life, while others represent a continuation of the new habits...

  • Writer: Joe Derochowski
    Joe Derochowski
  • Nov 21, 2023
  • 3 min read

As more Americans transition to hybrid work schedules, they’re straddling two lifestyles. Some days feel like a return to pre-pandemic life, while others represent a continuation of the new habits they’ve cemented during their remote-work era. This inconsistency creates tension because people crave routine. And that desire presents a tremendous innovation opportunity for home appliance manufacturers.


Changing Schedules, New Eating Patterns

Before the pandemic, a typical office worker’s day of eating might have started with a breakfast sandwich and coffee from Starbucks or Dunkin, followed by a muffin for a midmorning snack. Lunch in the office probably required a minute in the microwave and a minute of cleanup. Then it might be a macchiato for a midafternoon snack.

But the pandemic changed things. The harried commute was gone, so breakfast might have been a nice home-cooked omelet. As more consumers focused on wellness, the mid-morning snack sometimes became a protein drink or a smoothie, followed by a warm lunch. Maybe they kept the afternoon macchiato, though, because we can’t just change everything.


New Products to Meet the Hybrid Need

So what happens when workers start going back into the office part-time? They used to have that convenient mid-morning muffin but now prefer the protein drink they’ve grown accustomed to. Thankfully, new product innovations can meet that need in the form of portable blenders that allow people to make that protein drink on the go. As a result, they’ve been among the fastest-growing products this past year.


Likewise, if people are going in to work more often but still eat lunch at home sometimes, it helps to minimize prep time but still eat well. We’re seeing new products like cold-cooking smart devices solve for that. These countertop appliances allow the consumer to load a meal anytime and keep the food refrigerated until the scheduled cooking time, which can be programmed and changed from a phone app. The night before, people can schedule a nicer breakfast for before the commute, or make a quick lunch at home, or plan for a dinner at home on a day they’re in the office. These products help consumers do it all faster, more conveniently, and with greater flexibility. And we’re seeing growing interest in smart kitchen devices that make tasks like these easier.

% of Meal Preparers Who Own a Smart Kitchen Device

Source: Circana, Kitchen Audit 2023

Circana’s National Eating Trends® report for the year ending March 2023 shows we continue to source 86% of meals from home and retail. In-home meal preparation in Q1 2023 was 4% higher than in Q1 2019. But the desire for convenience is greater than ever, with consumers choosing heat-and-eat options for 14.7% of meals for the year ending March 2023, up from 12.2% in the 12 months ending March 2021, at the height of the pandemic.

A New Era of Home Appliance Innovation Is Here

This new and lasting era of hybrid work is an incredible opportunity for innovation. Pre-pandemic, a midweek lunch was not really a need that home kitchen appliances had to solve for. But now it is. It’s a great opportunity for manufacturers that can make midweek lunch at home even more convenient and better-tasting, and for those that can help consumers sustain their new routines on days when they’re off to the office. These trends are almost certain to produce some exciting industry innovations over the next few years — and this could spark big growth for the manufacturers that introduce them.

Contact Circana today to learn how we can help you track the latest home appliance trends and develop the right products to help meet them.



Get insights straight to your inbox

About the author

Joe Derochowski works closely with home and home improvement manufacturers and retailers, sharing his knowledge of behavioral trends across many categories and his unique perspective on what consumers do and why they do it. Driven by this insight and his passion for the home and home improvement industries, for more than 30 years Derochowski has helped manufacturers and retailers identify growth opportunities, both strategic and tactical, related to planning, product innovation, marketing, and merchandising. He connects the dots between the consumer and the marketplace to help companies understand today’s trends and anticipate future demands.


Derochowski is a recognized thought leader who frequently speaks at industry conferences and is regularly quoted as an industry expert by media such as The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Chicago Tribune, CNBC, and HomePage News. Prior to Circana, his wide-ranging career included roles at General Motors Parts, AT&T, Procter & Gamble, and Nielsen. He has also served on the board of directors for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.


Derochowski holds a bachelor’s degree from Kettering University and an MBA from Michigan State University.

View all solutions that

bottom of page