The purpose of the surveys was to better understand the state of the US frozen yogurt market from the perspective of consumers and shop owners. This year’s surveys were modified to account for the coronavirus pandemic. The results were also compared with last year’s results to capture trends over time.
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 205 responses.
The consumer survey was designed to measure loyalty, brand attitudes, frozen yogurt preferences, preferred shop attributes, current and future consumption, and demographics. New questions were added about the coronavirus pandemic. A few questions were removed.
While the 2019 results were quite similar to the 2018 results, the 2020 results showed some interesting differences. Some of the changes are likely attributable to the coronavirus pandemic. For example, cleanliness was rated the most important froyo shop attribute for the first time. When asked what froyo shops might do to increase visit frequency, the most popular write-in response was safety. The survey questions were modified to take into account the coronavirus pandemic. Approximately 86% of people reported consuming less froyo during pandemic. The results reveal how many respondents are comfortable with self-serve, why they consumed less, how they felt about the safety of self-serve, how often they visited froyo shops before the pandemic vs. last month, etc.
Loyalty as measured by going to a shop more than 75% of the time for froyo, declined. We also measured loyalty in other ways. Major chains accounted for 85% of respondents' favorite shops, with Yogurtland leading the way, followed by a tie for 2nd between Pinkberry and Orange Leaf.
Frozen Yogurt Shop Owner Survey
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. New questions were added to account for the coronavirus pandemic.
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 and provide an overall sense of where the frozen yogurt industry is headed by looking at trends over time. Respondents were provided with the full results.
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.
Respondents reported higher levels of concern than previous years about costs, finding employees, finding customers, etc. This year, the #1 concern was keeping employees and customers safe. The impact of COVID-19 has been devastating, with almost half reporting sales are off over 50% in the first nine months of 2020 (vs. first nine months of 2019). We also asked about their future outlook and plans.
Accessing the Survey Results
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.
