If You Enjoy Pulled Pork on Brioche and Charcuterie with Champagne

“For many consumers, meat isn’t just about dinner – it’s about memories, indulgence, and togetherness,” says Anne-Marie Roerink, founder of 210 Analytics. She argues that the emotional connection to meat is a key driver for sales, turning a regular dinner into a more meaningful experience. “People love meat, and we haven’t leaned into that enough,” Roerink continues. This emotional pull can often overcome concerns about price, especially if retailers can market meat in a way that evokes nostalgia or celebratory moments.

While inflation remains a concern, particularly among higher-income consumers, many are still willing to indulge in premium meat options. According to Joanne Hsu, director of the University of Michigan’s Survey of Consumers, although inflation expectations have risen, a portion of consumers are still spending on high-quality products. This trend, Roerink observes, reflects an unpredictable pattern in consumer behavior, where even in times of economic uncertainty, premium cuts like brisket and charcuterie still perform well.

This contradiction in consumer behavior highlights a growing interest in creating gourmet, restaurant-quality meals at home, especially with tools like air fryers, grills, and slow cookers that gained popularity during the pandemic. “Meat escapism,” as Roerink puts it, represents a desire to create indulgent meals at home without the restaurant price tag. Retailers have yet to fully tap into this demand, and there’s an opportunity to market meat not just as a product, but as an experience.

Retailers should draw inspiration from other departments within the store that excel in selling emotional connections. For example, baby aisles often focus on images of happy families, while bakeries display the joy of gatherings around a cake. Similarly, meat marketing can go beyond a simple image of a steak to showcase the experience of biting into a juicy burger, making the product feel like more than just food. As Roerink puts it, “It’s not about the steak on a plate, it’s about the feeling of enjoying that steak.”