Nearly half of Britain’s supermarket shoppers feel the run up to Christmas is costing much more than last year, according to startlingresearch by one of Europe’s leading shopping behaviour specialists.
New research by SBXL Ltd reveals that more than 44 per cent of supermarket shoppers believe they will end up spending more than last year in the run up to the festive season – with two of Britain’s major supermarkets leading the perception of higher prices.
The research shows that shoppers at Tesco and Morrison’s are feeling the pinch this Christmas, while Asda and Sainsbury’s shoppers don’t feel any worse off.
According to the latest figures, three quarters of Tesco and Morrison’s shoppers say they are spending up to 20 per cent more this Christmas on the same amount of goods. Forty per cent of these are also spending moreonline this Christmas.
The research is part of SBXL’s Continuous Shopper Insight programme which surveys a cross section of shoppers on a monthly basis. Information from more than 2,800 shoppers is analysed to give an ongoing picture of shopping habits and shoppers’ attitudes.
SBXL founder and Managing Director Phillip Adcock said shoppers at the lower end of the income scale were feeling the worst effect of price increases.
“We survey a wide range of shoppers geographically and across the income scale. The perceived increase in grocery spend is sharper in the lower demographics, and among Tesco and Morrison’s shoppers,” he said.
He added, “The message to take out of these figures for shoppers is that they need to be more savvy: less impulse buying and more thought to working out what is and isn’t a bargain. There is good value to be had at most supermarkets, but sometimes it takes some spotting. It’s not necessarily the special offers which will reduce grocery bills. Heavily promoted special offers are often there to help the supermarkets shift volume rather than offer value for money for the customer.
“The message for the supermarkets is that they must put more thought into providing perceived value for money for average shoppers in the run up to Christmas. At the moment, shoppers feel they are getting a worse deal than last Christmas, but it’s not too late for supermarkets to address that.”
SBXL, based in Staffordshire, is a leading retail research firm, combining state-of-the-art technology with a detailed knowledge of human psychology. As well as regular shopper tracking, the company provides retailers and brands with in-depth insights, using techniques such as in-store filming to capture behaviour, The company also provides detailed studies of facial expressions and non-verbal communication to identify sub-conscious decision-making processes, and eye-tracking to determine whatshoppers see in-store.
SBXL – which recently featured on Gloria Hunniford’s BBC programme “Rip-Off Food” – counts retail outlets and brands across Europe, North America and the Far East among its clients.
Pictured: SBXL’s Phillip Adcock.
SBXL
Shopping Behaviour Xplained Ltd
0044 1827 56970
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