9 in 10 Americans (93%) plan to cook at home as much or more in the next 12 months compared with the previous year, according to HelloFresh’s State of Home Cooking report. That shift is as much due to financial considerations as it is to a general desire among consumers to eat healthier. The shift to eating at home creates a prime opportunity for meal kit providers like Hello Fresh, provided they can make the case to consumers that their menus offer value for money—while also satisfying their seemingly-unquenchable desire for protein.To that end, these companies could highlight their budget-friendly options, as well as put the nutritional value of their meals front-and-center, while emphasizing the convenience that such kits provide.

Sometimes two is better than one. Especially when trying to capture consumer attention in a world of seemingly endless options. Here are four retail partnerships we think could occur in 2024, ranked from most likely to happen (e.g., Pinterest and Ikea) to least likely (e.g., Chewy and Blue Apron), and why we think they make sense.

After experiencing a boom during the pandemic, the subscription frenzy has begun to fade as consumers grow weary of the Stitch Fixes and Blue Aprons of the world. Has the category lost its way? Or is there hope on the horizon? Let’s take a look.

Subscription models are driving customer loyalty in online sales of groceries and other essential goods, but fatigue among consumers threatens long-term growth.

Mosaic Foods has had to acclimate to a new normal in the past few months, and as a relatively new brand, that hasn’t always been easy. Before the pandemic, employees of the meal delivery company were able to test out new recipes and offer feedback right then and there. But today, meals are shipped to co-workers who do video taste tests and offer notes.

Grocery companies—and more specifically their systems and services—have really been put to the test amid the pandemic. Many grocers are having trouble keeping items on the shelves. And even the most prepared are encountering issues with supply chain logistics.

Lunch and dinner subscription company MealPal started out as a service through which consumers could pick up meals from local restaurants during the work week—but, like many in the food industry, it has adjusted its operations for quarantined customers. The company now offers groceries supplied by local restaurants via MealPal Market.

Over the past few weeks, online grocery stores and meal kits have seen a stream of orders coming in, not only from existing customers, but also new ones looking to avoid physical stores during the pandemic. Plant-based meal company Splendid Spoon is one of those receiving demand.

Meal kits are experiencing an uptick in popularity as more people practice social distancing and turn to alternatives to limit their grocery store shopping.

eMarketer principal analysts Andrew Lipsman and Nicole Perrin discuss a recent report from The Wall Street Journal indicating that Amazon tweaked its algorithm to favor profitable, Amazon-branded products, the significance of consumers scaling back spending post-summer sales, Americans’ thoughts on meal kits and more.

Subscriptions like Netflix and Spotify have successfully transformed the way people engage with media, but retail subscriptions are yet to transform the way people shop. So far, retail subscription boxes have seen momentum within the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) category—think companies like Blue Apron, Dollar Shave Club and Birchbox. Despite the waves these companies have made, are consumers actually ready to automate their purchases of everyday goods?

Busy, dual-income households increasingly demand time-saving meals, but don't want to sacrifice quality. For many, the go-to solution has been meal kits, which marketers have touted as healthy, convenient alternatives to traditional home cooking.

Online shopping has become a sport during Thanksgiving week and beyond, and it's also starting to play a role in the holiday meal itself. In many ways, the convenience of buying groceries online seems well-suited for larger-than-usual gatherings, even if it is used by only a small number of consumers.

Even though food and beverage has traditionally been a product category with low digital penetration in the US—we peg the category at 2.8% of all retail ecommerce sales for 2018—online sales are steadily picking up steam.

Despite ups and downs in the subscription commerce segment, it's still a subject of great interest in the retail industry. Most brands that started online and direct to consumer have expanded to retail channels, either through partnerships or acquisitions.

Are consumers eating out more frequently or are they preparing more meals at home? According to new NPD Group data, over 80% of meals were prepared and eaten at home in 2017. US consumers dined out 185 times last year, down from the 2000 peak when that figure was 216.

You may think nothing of a box of frozen White Castle sliders or a Taco Bell dinner kit in the grocery aisle—fast-food signature dishes that shoppers can re-create at home. Yet Chick-fil-A's announcement on Monday that it will begin testing meal kits is something different altogether.