Consumers are feeling less in the holiday spirit ahead of Labor Day, according to consumer insights firm Numerator.
Numerator surveyed 518 consumers from August 2 to August 7.
Sixty percent of respondents said they plan to celebrate the holiday next month, a 15% decline versus the 75% who reportedly celebrated in 2022.
More than two-fifths of respondents expect higher prices to impact their Labor Day plans – the same amount who reported an impact on Memorial Day plans earlier this year, according to the report.
The majority of those planning to celebrate (86%) plan to “implement money-saving measures” while celebrating, including buying items on sale (54%), preparing more budget-friendly meals (35%), using more coupons (32%), switching to store brands (23%), and visiting dollar or discount stores (20%).
More than half of consumers (55%) plan to purchase beverage alcohol over the holiday. The top expected purchases among those planning to buy were beer (74%), hard seltzer (34%) and wine (33%).
Numerator also shared insights from the summer season:
Beer sales increased +11.7% over the summer versus summer 2022, with Miller Lite, Coors Light and Modelo gaining the most share.
Ready-to-drink bev-alc (RTD) sales – including hard seltzer, canned cocktails, hard cider and flavored malt beverages – increased +1.6% YoY, with High Noon, Twisted Tea and White Claw gaining the most share.
Numerator also noted that: “Gen Z and Millennial consumers accounted for much of the growth in this category, driven by a preference for brands such as Beatbox Beverages, Cutwater Spirits and High Noon, all of which saw increases in sales and share this summer.”