The US potato chips online sales reached USD648.9m in 2022 according to Euromonitor International’s e-commerce system, more than any other salty snack category.

Prices at the SKU (Stock-Keeping Unit) level as well as the unit price for potato chips increased throughout the first third of the year in 2023. While a 5.2% increase in SKU price illustrates what consumers are seeing in terms of pricing adjustments, these rates can also imply changes in pack sizes or product assortment.

However, the unit price of potato chip SKUs increased 2.5% from January to April as a result of several inflationary factors, including increases in the cost of cooking oil, which has doubled since before the pandemic, and fertilizer costs as a result of the conflict in Ukraine.

The promotional incidence for potato chips in this sample peaked in January at 31% for the month, which measures the proportion of SKUs on promotion to all SKUs available for purchase. Following the holiday season, consumers were extremely frugal, and it is obvious how aggressively businesses try to attract attention. However, as the year progresses, it is clear that promotional incidence declines and grocery retailers struggle to maintain unit prices given the intense inflationary pressures.

The sample examined potato chip SKUs (Stock-Keeping Units) that are found in the 14 grocery retailers and mass merchandisers tracked in Euromonitor International’s e-commerce tracking tool Via.