Deloitte: "Home Meal Trend to Continue Even After the COVID-19 Pandemic Ends"

[Asia Economy Reporter Ji-hwan Park] Even after the social distancing measures due to COVID-19 end, the trend of preferring home-cooked meals that has spread worldwide is expected to continue.

On the 7th, the Korea Deloitte Group, including Deloitte Anjin Accounting Firm, cited the results of the 2021 Deloitte Global State of the Consumer Tracker 2020-2021 report, which surveyed over 40,000 consumers in 18 countries conducted by Deloitte Global, and announced that the current home meal consumption trend will persist in the post-pandemic era.

As social distancing due to COVID-19 has lasted over a year, there is growing interest in whether consumer preferences for contactless and online purchases will change in the post-pandemic era. According to the consumer tracking report conducted by Deloitte Global targeting more than 40,000 consumers in 18 countries, most consumers responded that they will continue to enjoy home-cooked meals and refrain from visiting crowded places even after COVID-19.

The preference for cooking at home rather than dining out was higher in emerging countries than in developed countries. Consumers in countries such as China, India, Mexico, Chile, and South Africa showed a preference for cooking at home that was more than 10% higher than the global average of 55%. In contrast, the United States, Canada, and some European countries showed levels similar to the global average.

In Korea, it is expected that everyday activities will increase in areas such as cooking at home (49%), online shopping and delivery (60%), fresh food purchases (37%), and takeout/food delivery (33%) after the pandemic. In particular, Korean consumers showed a figure of 60% for online shopping usage, significantly exceeding the global average of 41%. The tendency to prefer purchasing fresh ingredients online and cooking at home rather than eating out was more pronounced compared to the global average.

The report predicted that consumers will maintain their preference for home-cooked meals after the pandemic based on three reasons. First, both consumers and companies analyze that remote work will continue after the pandemic. Second, the economic downturn caused by the pandemic crisis will continue to affect consumers' financial conditions. In fact, three out of five global consumers answered that they are currently spending all their income or spending more than their income. Lastly, more and more consumers are becoming interested in healthy food and have become accustomed to new delivery services that order fresh ingredients online. Last year, global sales of cookbooks and kitchenware increased by 17% and 32%, respectively.

Haeseop Lee, Partner of the Retail Consumer Innovation Group at Korea Deloitte Group, explained, "In the post-COVID new normal era, the preference for online shopping and fast delivery services is expected to be maintained or strengthened," adding, "Large domestic and global retailers are continuously expanding innovations in online shopping experiences and delivery infrastructure." He further added, "As investments related to delivery expand, smart label and packaging technologies are being utilized as means to create new revenue sources for companies and strengthen brand images, leading to simultaneous development in related fields."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.