Anyone who’s been sick this fall knows the power of a hot bowl of soup. But you don’t have to be under the weather to appreciate soup season. A big pot of soup is comforting and convenient, and it also can be healthy and a familiar way to experiment with flavors and ingredients. As temperatures go down, retailers can connect with consumers by leading with products that come in handy during soup season, as well as creative recipes and hacks.
Comfort
Just like a cup of tea or hot chocolate, a hot bowl of soup can be soothing to the soul. (Not to mention a sore throat.) Some people might find comfort in traditional soups like chicken noodle or vegetable beef, while others may gravitate to recipes passed down through generations.
Sometimes the mug or bowl that soup is served in can be what’s comforting. That can mean anything from grandma’s old mugs to attractive bowls like these from Widgeteer’s Tognana Metropol Casablanca collection.
Convenience
If there’s one thing uniting most consumers these days, it’s a desire for convenience. One-pot meals are generally the most convenient to prepare (and clean up afterward). Yes, there might be some slicing and dicing with soup, but generally, you throw everything in one pot and then just let it cook. Soup is also perfect for reheating throughout the week. (In fact, many people claim soup is better this way.) You can even encourage shoppers to use soup as a way to clean out their pantries or refrigerators.
When it comes to products, slow cookers, pressure cookers and stock pots like this one from Le Creuset are a necessity. Gadgets that help with preparation will also resonate, whether an immersion blender like this one from Dash or the clever Spadle from Dreamfarm, which acts as a scraper, measuring spoon and a ladle.
Health
Okay, maybe a lobster bisque isn’t the healthiest meal out there. But generally, soup offers an excellent way to get a variety of vegetables into one meal. In fact, you can get a number of food groups on the table in just one bowl of soup.
Retailers can emphasize the nutritional value of soup, as well as products that can help with vegetable prep, such as peelers, mandolins and cutting boards like the COLORI+ from Kuhn Rikon, which resists odors and won’t blunt knives.
The World of Wellness portfolio in the HomePage News InSight™ Trend Index 2023/24 features many products that help consumers save time and energy when making homemade meals of all kinds during soup season and all year long.