From the research … “When it comes to choosing where to carry out the seasonal shop, many consumers will be opting for supermarkets that aren’t their regular store.”
Retailers can expect some festive cheer this year as shoppers appear poised for a bumper festive food shop, with a survey revealing a considerable boost in consumer spending confidence.
More than three quarters of shoppers (78 per cent) declare they have no concerns about their seasonal grocery spending, according to the survey by UK coupon experts Valassis.
http://www.valassis.co.uk/Home/
Only one in five adults are worried about how much they will spend on the Christmas grocery shop this year, compared to nearly half of consumers (42 per cent) polled last year. There is a marked swing from obsession with price towards buying quality, with nearly half (49 per cent) confirming quality is more important this year than in 2012.
Valassis’ annual pre-Christmas survey, of over 1000 consumers across the UK, also revealed further good news for retailers – supermarket loyalty has increased with the proportion of shoppers planning to stick to their main supermarket more than doubling (to 17 per cent) compared to 2012. Promotions such as Price Match and loyalty programmes continue to play a major part in encouraging consumers to return to the same store.
However, supermarkets planning to rein in promotional activity should beware. The survey revealed eight out of 10 people are likely to shop elsewhere if attracted by a promotion. Over half (51 per cent) of shoppers stated they will shop away from their main retailer for a 2 for 1 offer, and 45 per cent will do so for coupon booklets.
Whilst intending to splash out this year, shoppers continue to seek out promotions with 82 per cent deal hungry customers planning on using a promotional offer when carrying out their grocery shopping this Christmas. The survey reveals this behaviour is on the increase with a quarter of people are looking for promotional offers more than they were a year ago.
Charles D’Oyly, managing director of coupon experts Valassis, comments:
“The fact that consumer confidence is on the up should bring some festive cheer to retailers. After many years of consumers fretting about the cost of their Christmas grocery spending, it’s encouraging to finally hear some positive news – and directly from shoppers rather than from economists or politicians.
“However, despite this boost in consumer confidence, supermarkets should be wary of putting a stop to promotional activity. The trend towards promotion-seeking shows no signs of diminishing. Indeed, when it comes to the festive food shop, promotions are often the deciding factor in which supermarket wins the battle of the big shop.”
When it comes to choosing where to carry out the seasonal shop, many consumers will be opting for supermarkets that aren’t their regular store. Beyond regular M&S shoppers (two per cent use M&S as main supermarket) an additional 18 per cent of all shoppers plan to visit M&S for Christmas shopping, and an additional 15 per cent will head to Waitrose, on top of the four per cent who use Waitrose as their main supermarket.
Aldi and Lidl both now feature highly as seasonal shopping destinations. Just five per cent of all shoppers are Aldi regulars, but for Christmas shopping their numbers will be swelled by a further 13 per cent of all shoppers who typically do their grocery shopping elsewhere. Lidl will benefit similarly with its shopping audience jumping from just four per cent of all shoppers to attract an additional eight per cent from other stores.
Charles D’Oyly, continues:
“It’s no surprise that shoppers are planning to treat themselves with December outings to M&S and Waitrose, but it is interesting that Aldi and Lidl, traditionally at the economy end of the pricing spectrum, are predicted to draw large numbers from less value oriented stores. Their appeal appears to be great value combined with some prominent gourmet deals. With both regularly topping taste tests and scooping industry accolades, it’s not hard to see why they’re fast becoming Christmas destinations.”
The research was conducted between 15 – 17 November 2013 by Gfk NOP on behalf of Valassis.