Snacks Poised to Score at Super Bowl Watch Parties
NATIONAL REPORT — No matter what team they're rooting for, professional football's biggest night of the year has something all fans can agree on: the importance of food and snacks.
With 90% of fans hosting or attending home gatherings and 83% planning to whip up at least some gameday fare from scratch, fast-moving consumer goods brands should be prepared to tackle this important opportunity to drive sales during the biggest game night of the year, according to "NIQ Perspective: Super Bowl 2025 – Understanding Shopping Preferences & Spending."
The market research firm found that when it comes to the most purchased food for the Super Bowl, consumers buy:
- Chips, dips and salsa (21.6%)
- Chicken wings (14.9%)
- Snack mixes (12.9%)
- Meat (10.9%)
- Fresh produce (10.2%)
Price and quality/taste are top priorities for Super Bowl food and snack shoppers. Younger consumers, especially Generation Z, are set to spend more this game day, making thoughtful choices that favor brands with strong reputations, sustainable products and eye catching packaging, NIQ highlighted.
When it comes to the factors that influence Super Bowl product purchase decisions:
- 55.9% say it's price
- 53.9% say it's quality and taste
- 32.4% say it's convenience
- 30.4% say it's special promotions
- 23.3% say it's brand reputation
- 21.6% say it's healthiness
- 12.1% say it's sustainability
- 11% say it's packaging
"With most fans watching the Super Bowl from home, the demand for at-home party foods and snacks will be significant. High quality, great tasting and convenient options are crucial, but price remains the number one decision driver," commented Chris Costagli, vice president, food insights, NielsenIQ. "In fact, 87% are planning to buy private label for this year's party, including those making $100K+. Name brand manufacturers must work harder to win over today's discerning shoppers by emphasizing their brand's total value proposition."
Although healthiness and sustainability may not be top priorities for Super Bowl shoppers, more than half are still planning to include healthier choices in their gameday lineup. When it comes to their Super Bowl spread, 59.3% of shoppers will incorporate healthier options while 40.7% said they are all in on indulgence.
Of those hosting a Super Bowl watch party this year, 23% know at least one attendee taking a GLP-1 medicine for weight loss.
Headquartered in Chicago, NielsenIQ is a leading consumer intelligence company.
Touching Down
The percentage of consumers who report they'll watch Super Bowl LIX is up, with 57% planning to tune in this year compared to only 46% in 2022, data from Circana revealed.
This rise in viewership provides consumer packaged goods brands with a massive opportunity as game watchers drive sales. A few insights on Super Bowl viewership and spending include:
- 40% of people will watch the game at home by themselves or with members of their household, while 19% will watch with family and friends, and 2% will watch from a bar or restaurant.
- Gen Z and younger millennial consumers are likelier to host a watch party or watch with family and friends than other cohorts.
- The top-selling categories in 2024 were regular soft drinks and tortilla chips, while the biggest volume gainers were refrigerated dips (+9%) and processed chicken and uncooked meats, not including poultry (+up 8%).
- More than a third of game-watchers will purchase extra snacks and an additional 27% will order food from a restaurant.
- The average anticipated spend on food and beverages is $44, a slight increase of 3% from 2024.
- Licensed apparel is expected to see strong demand; in 2024, Kansas City licensed apparel saw a 219% hike in dollar sales, driven partly by Taylor Swift’s relationship with Chiefs player Travis Kelce.
Circana is headquartered in Chicago.