Fro-yo girl here. Last fall, International Frozen Yogurt Association (IFYA) sponsored the Third Annual National (US) Frozen Yogurt Survey to better understand the state of the US frozen yogurt market. As in previous years, there were two versions of the survey, one for frozen yogurt consumers and another for frozen yogurt shop operators. The consumer survey was open in September and the shop owner survey in October. The National Frozen Yogurt Survey is the only measure of national frozen yogurt consumer sentiment.
Frozen Yogurt Consumer Survey
All frozen yogurt consumers in the US over 13 years old were invited to share their thoughts about frozen yogurt by taking the short online survey. There were 214 responses.
The consumer survey was designed to measure the following:
- Loyalty
- Brand attitudes towards major frozen yogurt chains
- Frozen yogurt preferences
- Attribute importance of frozen yogurt shops
- Current & future consumption
- Purchasing habits
- Demographics
The results were quite similar to the results of last year's survey. The top 3 key attributes that consumers seek in frozen yogurt shops remained the same. The top 3 non-froyo items consumers would consider getting from a frozen yogurt shop did not change. Three out of four respondents expressed willingness to pay more for quality froyo, similar to 2018.
The survey measured liking for frozen yogurt chains with several questions. The order changed but the top four remained (in no particular order) Menchie's, Pinkberry, TCBY and Yogurtland.
However, there were some interesting changes. Loyalty as measured by going to a shop more than 75% of the time for froyo, declined. More people are going to get froyo without others compared to last year.
The respondents were younger and included more males than last year. Of the 214 respondents, 57% were female, 43% male, with 52% between the ages of 18-34. In 2018, respondents were 64% female, 34% male, and 41.2% were between 18-34 years old.
Shop Owner Survey Results
The shop owner survey was also an anonymous online survey. The survey asked frozen yogurt shop owners in the US about operational practices, shop and owner characteristics, supplier satisfaction, concerns, and shop performance.
The main goals of the shop owner survey were to:
- Provide shop owners with benchmarks to assess how they compare to other frozen yogurt shops
- Help suppliers learn more about how shops felt about their suppliers
- Provide an overall sense of where the frozen yogurt industry is headed by looking at trends over time
The shop owner survey included three questions to capture shop performance. One concerned the current performance of the shop. The second asked the owner to predict the shop's performance over the next 12 months. Finally, we asked shop owners how satisfied they were with their decision to open their business.
While more respondents reported that their business was doing better than doing worse over the past year, we did see an increase in the number of respondents who reported their shop was doing slightly worse. Fewer respondents expected business to be better in the next year compared to 2018 respondents. Rising costs are their main concern. Respondents were also fairly satisfied with their suppliers, especially their soft serve mix suppliers.
Thirty nine responses were received from frozen yogurt shop owners. Responses were received from shops across the country, with the most responses from California. Most respondents were owners of independent froyo shops who owned one shop.
Accessing the Survey Results
The full results are also available for $150 per report. To order reports or for more information, please contact info@internationalfrozenyogurt.com
A limited set of results is available for IFYA members in the members only Resources section of the IFYA website.
You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.
Looking for more frozen yogurt news, discussion boards, and resources? Check out the International Frozen Yogurt Association website at http://internationalfrozenyogurt.com/. The IFYA is the independent voice of the frozen yogurt industry.
