Customers rush to buy energy-saving products as discretionary income continues to fall

Asda customers have turned to energy saving products in record numbers as they look at ways to combat the cost of living crisis.

With household bills continuing to rise sharply, the latest Asda Income Tracker shows families were £141 per month worse off in September compared to the previous year – primarily due to soaring utility bills, with gas prices up an eye-watering 95.7% and electricity prices up by 54% year on year.

In response, customers are increasingly turning to energy-saving products to try and keep their bills in check. Asda has seen a 320% increase in air fryer sales year-on-year, sales of slow cookers have more than doubled and sales of heated airers are 90% up compared to last September.

Regionally, those living in the south east saw the sharpest drop in discretionary income, with families in that region £212 a month worse off compared to this time last year, whilst the East Midlands showed the most resilience. However, they still saw an annual decrease of £116 per month, meaning no region saw an uptick in discretionary income compared to September last year.

To help customers during the cost of living crisis, Asda is introducing a new ‘winter warmer’ initiative offering those aged 60 and over the chance to enjoy soup, a roll and unlimited tea and coffees for just £1 in any of its 205 cafes all day and every day throughout November and December. This will run alongside the current ‘Kids eat for £1’ offer which continues to be hugely popular, with more than 630,000 meals served since the launch in late June.

The Asda Foundation has also launched new ‘cost of living’ funding pot worth £500k to help keep community groups running and the supermarket is also running a ‘Community Cuppa’ campaign in its cafes by creating space for community groups, who may otherwise struggle to meet due to rising energy costs.