From Lattes to…Bacon? Carving Out Pumpkin Spice Purchase Trends with Fetch

Autumn ushers in a whirlwind of change—the crisp air, the rustle of leaves, and a ubiquitous aroma that has become synonymous with the season: pumpkin spice. What started as a humble flavoring for lattes has transformed into a cultural phenomenon, touching every product imaginable. 

At Fetch, we’ve delved deep into the heart of this spice-laden craze, tapping into receipt data submitted by our 12 million weekly active users that represents $152 billion in retail spend annually to get the pulse on consumer preferences around pumpkin spice mania.

Analyzing the Pumpkin Spice Surge, Using Fetch

Fetch looked into purchase trends for pumpkin spice products in the U.S., based on user-submitted receipts from grocery, restaurant, retail and e-commerce purchases between January 1, 2019 to Aug. 14, 2023 to pinpoint just when the mania for these items kicked off.

To compare year-over-year purchase trends, we took the average weekly purchase volume from February through July for each year and measured growth relative to those baselines, to determine the key times for pumpkin spice purchasing. Just for fun, we came up with some unofficial designations to describe the stages of the seasonal surge:

• “Tipping point:” The precise moment when pumpkin spice buying season kicks in. To find this, we backtracked from the seasonal apex for each year and identified the first week to show an overall sales increase along with above-average purchase volume. 
• “Peak Pumpkin:” The period when sales volume is at least 100% higher than the off-season baseline. 
• “Pumpkin Frenzy:” The period when weekly sales volume is more than 1,000% above the off-season baseline. 

You Can’t Stop the Spice: Earlier, Pricier & All-Year Round

Looking at the data, it’s clear that the pumpkin spice craze is stronger than ever in 2023, with consumers buying it sooner, throughout the year, and overall, spending more money to get their hands on the orange goodies,

Pumpkin-spice creep is real: This year, consumer buying picked up the week of July 10. “Peak Pumpkin” season lasts an average of 155 days, while “Pumpkin Frenzy” lasts an average of 58 days. Regardless of when the season begins, the consumer buying rate consistently reaches its apex at the end of September into the beginning of October

‘Tis Always the Season for Pumpkin: While “Peak Pumpkin” season lasts an average of 155 days and “Pumpkin Frenzy” lasts an average of 58 days, this seasonal flavor never disappears from shelves completely. However, purchase volume does hit a low from March through June.

“Oh my gourd” Prices: Pumpkin spice products are getting more expensive every year, with the average unit price in 2022 up more than 7% compared to the previous year. Overall, prices are up nearly 24% since 2019.

There’s a Pumpkin Flavored What?!

With users submitting more than 11 million receipts every day from every kind of transaction, Fetch has real-time pulse on consumer behavior.

Digging into the purchase data from this season, we found an absolutely stunning array of pumpkin spice products. Check out the list below for some of our favorites:

Food: Perfect pairings for your PSL!

• Bacon 
• Beef Sticks 
• Cheddar 

Pet: Even Fido can join in on the fun! 

• Cake Mix for Dogs 
• Scented Cologne for Dogs and Cats

Alcohol: These are sure to warm you up!

• Negroni 
• Tonic 
• Wine 

Beauty: A whole new way to enjoy pumpkin… 

• Matte Liquid Lipstick
• Eye Shadow Palette
• Gel Nail Polish Kit 
• Retinol Night Serum

For brands hungry for a deeper understanding of their audience, Fetch is the key to not only tapping into consumer insights but leveraging that visibility to shift purchasing meaningfully, with full attribution and world-class measurement.

Ready to transform your marketing approach? Reach out to the Fetch for Business team today – we’re here to spice up how your brand connects with shoppers!