Proprietary Shopper Study, No. 5 – Different Shoppers. Different Directions.

New shopper data from Advantage360™ shows how life stage, financial pressure, and even cooking mindset shape shopping behavior. This is your guide for making smart moves in 2027.

The share of shoppers who say their finances are in good shape dropped 6 points in just one year. That pressure didn’t tip people into crisis; it pushed them into the middle. Shoppers managing tight budgets with little left over make up half the market now and are the group deciding whether to trade up, trade down, or hold steady. Life stage, financial pressure and cooking mindset explain why that shift is playing out so differently across shoppers. Release 5 of the Advantage360™ Proprietary Shopper Study maps it out.

If you’re a brand

Even your most premium-minded shoppers are trading down. 53% of shoppers who say quality matters more than price switched to cheaper products this year, and financially comfortable young families are changing habits faster than any other life stage. Download to see where premium messaging still resonates, and where it doesn’t.

If you’re a retailer

This report maps single-store dependence, digital adoption and retailer breadth across life stage and financial tier, including which shoppers have the least ability to cross-shop if you miss. Download to see where loyalty is earned, where it’s fragile and where value has to be obvious versus just available.

Get this free report!

What’s inside

Why the share of financially secure shoppers shrank, and where that pressure actually ended up
Five life stages, from single professionals to empty nesters, and what drives each one
Why premium loyalty isn’t trade-down proof, even among shoppers who prioritize quality over price
Five cooking mindsets and the specific shortcut each one is shopping for
A segmented lens on Hispanic shoppers, combining value needs with strong growth behavior
A three-step playbook for turning these differences into a sharper plan

Get the full report.

What is the Advantage360™ Shopper Study?
The Advantage360™ Proprietary Shopper Study is Advantage Solutions’ annual research series tracking how shoppers are changing the way they eat, cook and shop. Release 5 (2026) segments the Adaptive Shopper by life stage, financial status and cooking mindset.

How many shoppers were surveyed?
The 2026 study is based on 8,675 valid responses collected between April 13 and May 1, 2026, weighted to reflect nationally representative shopper demographics.

What are the financial tiers in the study?
The Advantage360™ Shopper Study sorts shoppers into three self-reported tiers: Comfortable (“my finances are in good shape”), Managing (“money’s tight with little left over”) and Struggling (“I can’t keep up with current expenses without help”). In 2026, 50% were Managing.

What’s the difference between a Price Hunter and a Quality Seeker?
Price Hunters prioritize the most affordable option regardless of brand or ingredients. Quality Seekers prioritize premium ingredients and experience over cost.

Which shopper segment is the largest in the study?
Empty nesters are the largest life-stage segment, at 25% of shoppers, and among the most financially pressured.

Are financially comfortable shoppers still price-sensitive?
Yes. 53% of Quality Seekers, shoppers who prioritize premium quality over price, switched to lower-priced products in the past year. Comfort doesn’t eliminate trade-down behavior.