The countdown to Christmas and New Year's has begun, and iFood reveals that the festive end-of-year spirit is already taking over shopping carts on the platform, confirming that the true Brazilian Christmas happens at 30°C, with the fan on, last-minute secret Santa, and a delivery arriving at the door. A survey by iFood Trends confirms this culture: panettone, ice cream, toys, barbecue, and beer are the categories with the highest growth in the first half of December, compared to the same period last year.
If December had a flavor, it would be candied fruit or chocolate chips: highlighting the trend of Brazilians using delivery for holiday preparations, the traditional panettone recorded a growth of 157% in orders during the period. In absolute numbers, we went from 26 thousand units in 2024 to nearly 68 thousand panettones circulating across Brazil in these two weeks.
iFood Trends also recorded that Brazilians have already embraced the summer vibe, with growth in ice cream orders reaching 126%. While panettone takes care of tradition, Brazilians battle the typical December heat with 888,000 orders in just this first half of the month.
And since Brazilians don't gather without fire and charcoal, the traditional Brazilian holiday barbecue saw consumption in the category double in size, with 101% more orders than in the first 15 days of December last year. Beer, the official fuel of social gatherings, followed the upward trend, with growth of 72% (336 thousand orders).
iFood has also officially assumed the role of “helper for those who left things to the last minute.” The category of Games & Toys grew 91%, reflecting a new behavior: instead of facing the chaos of large shopping centers, Brazilians discovered that the gift can arrive in minutes, along with dinner.
“The data helps explain Brazilian behavior during the festive month. December is about eating panettone, the national champion, having ice cream, buying toys for children, and celebrating with barbecue and beer. And the sales growth from one year to the next shows that consumers use the convenience of delivery to invest time in what matters, which is celebrating with family and friends,” explains Rafael Corrêa, Head of Communication at iFood.
Ranking of categories with the highest percentage growth in the first half of 2024 vs 2025:
- Panettone
- Ice Cream
- Barbecue
- Games and Toys
- Beer
