Brand tracking - How many Americans are eating ice cream in winter? And who are they?

Unilever’s CFO said poor weather hit ice cream sales and took a lick of the company’s profits this year. So how much of a seasonal treat does ice cream remain for US consumers, in the face of efforts from marketers to make it a staple whatever the weather?

A new analysis from YouGov, focusing on three beloved brands: Breyers, Ben & Jerry’s and Häagen-Dazs, reveals the answer.

Our brand tracking data shows that, across 2021 and 2022, one in ten US adults reported buying ice cream from these three iconic brands during the warmer months of June to September (10%).

But the allure of a refreshing scoop of ice cream doesn’t seem to be confined to scorching days of summer alone. 8.5% of Americans enjoyed a frozen dessert from one of the three brands during the cooler months too, between January to May and October to December in both 2021 and 2022.

The data also reveals some interesting differences throughout the year and by gender.

During the summer months, 10.8% of women and 8.9% of men bought from Breyers, Ben & Jerry's, and Häagen-Dazs, marking a statistically significant difference in ice cream purchase habits between the two groups.

We see the same difference occur when testing for consumption during cooler months, with 9.2% of women and 7.8% of men saying they made a purchase from the ice cream brands outside of summer.

There is a certain point in the year when the gap between genders narrows. February, which hosts Valentine’s Day, is the only month outside of summer when men are just as likely to be buying ice cream as women (8.7% vs. 8.9%).