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Pumpkin spice latte (PSL) season came early this year – Starbucks released its PSL and fall menu six days earlier than last year, and Dunkin’ kicked off the season in mid-August. The beverage’s August debut has sparked the annual debate of whether it’s too early to drink pumpkin spice beverages, as many Americans are still experiencing the heat of the summer.
CivicScience data show that early-released pumpkin-spiced food and beverages are a hit among the PSL community. In general, data show that 22% of U.S. adults are favorable to pumpkin spice lattes (while 41% are unfavorable, and 38% are either neutral or haven’t tried one). Among PSL fans, 23% of them say they usually buy pumpkin spice-flavored foods and beverages as soon as they’re available in the summer, 36% start in September, and 34% wait until October. Only 8% of PSL fans hold off until November.
As the majority of PSL fans order pumpkin spice-flavored foods/beverages in September or earlier, how can brands reach their PSL fans now? Here are five key insights about pumpkin spice latte fans, according to the CivicScience InsightStore:
