The New Consumer

We asked 3,000 consumers how they feel about adding protein to 18 food and beverage products, from snack bars to beer — where it feels most natural, and which they'd be most interested in trying: newconsumer.com/2026/03/consum… From @newconsumer and Coefficient Capital:

A decade ago, a Sweetgreen Kale Caesar cost $9. Today it’s $14. The problem is that it still looks and tastes like a $9 salad. $SG isn’t as good as it was, or as it could be. I wrote about why — and whether years of self-inflicted mediocrity are fixable: newconsumer.com/2026/02/has-sw…

Has Sweetgreen hit bottom? newconsumer.com/2026/02/has-sw… Wraps to the rescue, after years of drifting?

After passing $100mm in sales last year — @david_protein's first full year in the market — CEO @PeterRahal is expanding the aperture. The company plans to add more brands to the portfolio under an umbrella called Medici. Details at @newconsumer: newconsumer.com/2026/02/david-…

I’m excited to announce the Live Shopping Update, a collaboration with @Whatnot, the largest live shopping platform in North America and Europe. Over the next several months, Whatnot will contribute new data to @newconsumer about what’s working in the fast-growing live commerce market. Live shopping is finally getting big in the West around a decade after taking off in China. Whatnot estimates that the market reached around $22 billion in North America and Europe last year. It's being driven by small business owners who are learning how to be creator hosts, selling products and also building communities. More in today's post: newconsumer.com/2026/01/introd…

Introducing Consumer Trends 2026: newconsumer.com/trends/consume… Despite last year’s chaos, the American consumer never stopped spending, and many say they’re trading up. Our latest collab with Coefficient Capital. 122 slides, free to download:

Ozempic users are going crazy for deli meat, fries, and handbags: newconsumer.com/2025/11/ozempi… GLP-1s are life-changing drugs, transforming not only waistlines but also identity and indulgence.

I wrote about @obvious_shirts, your favorite sports fan's favorite shirt company. It's a great case study in how to build a modern content + commerce + community business without spending on ads. It also has an amazing founding story, featuring former @Cubs great @JArrieta34:

Obvious Shirts and the business of fandom: newconsumer.com/2025/10/obviou… How a Chicago @Cubs superfan built a multi-million-dollar merch business without spending on ads — and why staying niche might be better than trying to scale @obvious_shirts.

Chase’s $800 Sapphire Reserve: The math is messy, but the strategy is brilliant: newconsumer.com/2025/10/chase-… Chase and Amex are transforming credit cards into lifestyle subscriptions, designed to redirect your spending. (And for the first time, I’m reconsidering my membership.)

I just published this big piece on how consumers are using AI right now, and how they're thinking about it. Lots of fresh data and info, including new @OpenAI study, my own proprietary @newconsumer survey data, and spending data from @ConsumerEdge. The highlights: → AI is something almost everyone knows about, and many people — especially younger consumers — are already using on a regular basis. → Consumers are mostly using AI today for advice and guidance, writing, and research. There’s no single dominant use case for ChatGPT or other AI tools, but instead many different ones, highlighting their versatility. → AI tools aren’t the top resource for shopping and commerce recommendations, but they’re increasingly part of the picture, especially for younger consumers. → In the US, Gen. Z expresses less optimism and more negativity about AI than Millennials, who are the most positive generation in our survey. Older consumers are even more pessimistic.

How consumers are using — and thinking about — AI right now: newconsumer.com/2025/09/how-co… Gen. Z uses AI more than any other generation. They’re also seriously skeptical.

Erewhon is going to crush it in NYC (eventually) newconsumer.com/2025/09/erewho… Sorry, that tiny kiosk inside a Kith club doesn’t really count. Also: Lululemon’s stale sweats, PwC’s sketchy holiday forecast, and more.

People want new stuff all the time: newconsumer.com/2025/08/people… But it has to be good. Also: Why Sweetgreen’s fries are canceled. And notes from Q2 earnings. $SG $CMG $CAVA $SBUX

~Half of podcast listeners consider podcasts more accurate and truthful than traditional news media - 20% of US consumers who listen to podcasts say they think podcasts are "much more accurate and truthful" than traditional news sources - This is higher among men, Gen. Z and Millennials, high earners, and Republicans - Also higher among those who listen to @TuckerCarlson, @joerogan, and @hubermanlab pods Source: Consumer Trends 2025 Mid-Year Report by @newconsumer and Coefficient Capital, July 2025 survey by @TolunaCorporate

Introducing the Consumer Trends 2025 Mid-Year Report: newconsumer.com/trends/consume… AI is polarizing. Pets are family. Podcasts move culture.

Daydream, AI, and the future of shopping: newconsumer.com/2025/07/daydre… Also: AG1 at Costco, Parachute pulls back from retail, and why Netflix can’t really compete with YouTube.

We asked thousands of US consumers to rate 96 food and beverage items on: 1) Their overall healthiness (or unhealthiness), and 2) How happy (or unhappy) it makes them feel to eat or drink them Here are the results:

Introducing the Consumer Trends Food Feelings Matrix: newconsumer.com/2025/05/consum… We asked thousands of Americans to rate 96 food and drinks, from almond butter to whiskey. Here are the healthiest and funnest.

Join us! → I’m excited to be speaking at the @WSJ Global Food Forum next month in Chicago, w/ @SieteFoods cofounder Miguel Garza, @shakeshack CEO Rob Lynch, and Jeni Britton, founder of @jenisicecreams and now Floura. It’s soon (June 16+17) so pls request an invitation today. And use my code NEWCONSUMER20 to save 20% on your pass. I hope to see you there!