How retailers can keep the frozen-pizza party rolling

Even — perhaps especially — in tough times, simple pleasures such as pizza offer a taste of happier days. Yet, while the past couple of years have been tough, indeed, they've also been a boon to the frozen-pizza sector. As we enter a new normal, retailers can keep the party going by shaping their product mix to match what today's shoppers want.

The past couple of years have been challenging for everyone. But as businesses and individuals begin to get back on their feet, they may take a lesson in resiliency from — perhaps an unexpected place — the frozen-pizza sector.

Why? For one, 28% of consumers purchased more frozen pizza during the pandemic than they were purchasing before, per Acosta research — reflecting just the sort of "sticky" appeal that every CPG category seeks.

Beyond that, it's hard to imagine a product better positioned to fill the gaps that pandemic living opened. Frozen pizzas offered consumers comfort in the form of familiar, family-friendly fare that helped them re-create the pizzeria experience even in the shelter of their own homes.

But consumers weren't alone in finding comfort in frozen pizza's perennial popularity. Retailers, too, benefited from the revenue that rolled in as traffic in the freezer aisle heated up.

So as pizza shops reopen and society embraces a new normal, can retailers keep the frozen-pizza party going?

They sure can — if they stock pizzas that bring shoppers back for more.