The average UK shopper now uses more than five retailers and three different channels to buy their monthly groceries, according to new research.
The WindowOn…Fragmented Shopper Repertoires report, from shopper research agency Shoppercentric, asked more than 1,100 UK shoppers about their grocery buying habits.
It found that 70% said they had changed their habits recently, using different stores or buying more or less often. While 20% said they were shopping more often, 38% said they were using more stores.
On average, shoppers used more than five retailers and bought across three different channels, such as online, convenience stores and large format stores.
When asked what had changed their habits, 54% said they wanted to get shopping over and done with. To achieve that they shopped locally, in smaller stores, or online. Some 62% of UK shoppers who bought groceries online said they did so to save time, while 34% cited their use of the favourites list.
Shoppers also appear to becoming less loyal, with 17% of Tesco shoppers reporting they spent more in other stores, as did 14% of Sainsbury’s and Morrison’s shoppers. Waitrose shoppers used 6.2 different stores on average in the past month, while Asda shoppers used 5.8 stores.
“A change in shopper repertoires presents retailers and brands with huge challenges,” said Shoppercentric managing director Danielle Pinnington. “This apparent decline in loyalty indicates a need to move beyond traditional tactics in order to encourage repeat footfall, and it must include a tangible move beyond price wars, which themselves are encouraging promiscuity. Perhaps it is time that retailers and brands start working together to focus more on shoppers’ emotional needs around passion and pleasure. After all, these are more likely to hold the key to unlocking the long standing shopper loyalty that is becoming more and more elusive.”
