Do Veganuary Promotions Affect Vegan Product Sales?
Reducing meat consumption is vital to address climate change, global food security, animal welfare, and public health. However, per-capita meat consumption varies across the globe, and in many countries, large reductions will be necessary to meet their health and environmental targets.
Noting that the U.K. per-capita meat consumption exceeds both the global average and the government’s recommendations, researchers wanted to understand the factors that impact plant-based product purchases at U.K. supermarkets. The study was based on emerging evidence that “nudging”—using subtle cues to influence consumer behavior, such as placing products in a specific location for visibility—is a promising approach to reduce meat consumption.
The study measured changes in sales of plant-based and meat-based products in response to the U.K.’s annual “Veganuary” campaign, where consumers pledge to go vegan during the month of January. During Veganuary, one large retail chain sought to increase plant-based product sales through an intervention that increased the visibility and expanded the availability of 101 plant-based products in its stores. To do this, stores placed the products in prime locations and displayed marketing materials, such as vegan product “swap” recommendations. The retail chain also reduced the price of certain store-brand vegan products — in some cases, these products became cheaper than their meat-containing counterparts.
The researchers gathered 20 weeks of sales data from 170 grocery stores across three periods: pre-Veganuary sales were collected in November 2020, Veganuary sales in January 2021, and post-Veganuary sales in February-March 2021. The authors classified stores as either “convenience stores” or “superstores,” where the latter were larger and sold a broader variety of goods. They were also interested in understanding how sales differed depending on the affluence of a given area.
Overall, sales of plant-based products were significantly higher during the Veganuary intervention than before the intervention (60%). Although plant-based sales dropped after the intervention had completed, sales were still 15% higher than they were before Veganuary. However, sales of meat and all other products also went up during the intervention, suggesting that plant-based purchases were being purchased alongside meat instead of replacing it.
Superstores saw the greatest increases in plant-based product sales, up 58% compared to 25% in convenience stores. Post-Veganuary sales remained 15% higher than pre-Veganuary sales in superstores, whereas at convenience stores, post-Veganuary sales were down by 2% compared to pre-intervention (although this wasn’t significant). During the intervention, sales of meat products increased by 6% at superstores and decreased by 5% at convenience stores, a significant change for both store types. Compared to pre-intervention, post-intervention meat sales remained 2% higher at superstores, and 5% lower at convenience stores.
Area affluence also affected the intervention’s results. During Veganuary, areas with below-average affluence saw the greatest increase in plant-based product sales for both store types. This suggests that people in lower-income areas may be open to eating plant-based products after barriers of affordability and access are removed. However, at any point in time, superstores in above-average affluence areas saw higher overall sales of plant-based products than those in average and below-average affluence areas. The researchers found that area affluence did not affect meat sales in either store format.
This study’s findings suggest that interventions to enhance the visibility, availability, and affordability of plant-based products can have both immediate and lasting positive effects on plant-based product sales. Furthermore, targeted interventions aimed at superstores and low-income neighborhoods can be especially effective. However, it appears that promotional interventions do not necessarily decrease the consumption of meat products. To change that moving forward, it’s important to consider interventions that decrease the visibility and availability of meat while promoting plant-based alternatives to replace them. Finally, advocates should consider ways of encouraging people to continue purchasing plant-based products, even after Veganuary is over.