Home Bakers Undaunted by Inflation and More Active Than Ever, Survey Finds

Budgets Are Stretched, But 8,500 Home Baking Enthusiasts Report Strong Commitment and a Desire for More – Within Limits

CHICAGO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Rampant inflation in the wake of the global pandemic may be affecting consumer behavior, but home bakers say they’re baking more than ever, and only slightly feel the impact of higher prices for baking supplies and ingredients, according to a survey by Bigger Bolder Baking, co-founded by professional chef and cookbook author Gemma Stafford.

The survey results, released in advance of The Inspired Home Show, are an important indicator that home bakers remain committed to baking — which they report doing even more frequently than before the start of the pandemic three years ago.

Of the 8,506 bakers who responded to the Bigger Bolder Baking survey, an astonishing 63.5% report baking once a week or every day, while 84.2% say they cook a minimum of three times a week. Importantly for the home goods industry, 72.7% say they bake as much as or more frequently than they did a few years ago, and 43.8% report that “inflation has not affected my baking habits at all.”

“Baking is much more than a hobby or a pastime – it’s an integral part of life for even casual home bakers,” said Kevin Kurtz, CEO and co-founder of Bigger Bolder Baking, the leading — and indispensable — multimedia destination that reaches 8 million home bakers each month through its website, YouTube channel and social-media platforms. “Home baking is incredibly important to a huge number of people, and they are committed to it despite external pressures like inflation and the cost and availability of ingredients. Our survey points to amazing resilience among home bakers, and a huge desire to bake, to share, and to recommend their favorite recipes and products. As a market segment, home bakers are integral to the entire industry.”

Kurtz notes that home bakers are very much part of the “creator economy,” both as consumers and influencers within their personal sphere: More than 42% report watching between two and six hours of cooking and baking video content a week, primarily on YouTube (62%). An overwhelming 83% say they sometimes or routinely recommend products and brands with which they have had positive experiences.

While inflation and supply-chain pressures have been global issues in the past months, only 19.1% of survey respondents reduced their baking frequency due to higher prices. Nearly 9% say they are “now baking more than ever.”

Nonetheless, economic enthusiasm is not unlimited. The survey found expected budgets for baking supplies and ingredients in the coming year mostly (30.6%) in the modest $200 to $500 range. Only about 16% plan to spend more than that on supplies and ingredients in 2023, while 23% plan to spend less than $100.

“This is the one grain of salt in an otherwise very sweet set of results,” Kurtz said. “There are limits to what home bakers can spend, and baking brands and retailers should be aware that if pricing pressures continue, budgets may go down further.”

Perhaps surprisingly, most home bakers (58.5%) say they do their shopping for baking supplies and equipment at online-only retailers, while, perhaps mirroring current struggles in the retail sector, only 19.9% regularly shop at large home-goods retailers like Bed Bath & Beyond and IKEA. Grocery stores and superstores (Walmart, Target) ran second and third, respectively, to online retailers in the survey.

Bigger Bolder Baking can be found online at www.BiggerBolderBaking.com or on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/GemmaStafford.

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John Singh

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