Third of consumers have changed primary supermarket in lockdown

A survey from FMCG mobile app Shopmium finds that 18% of shoppers switched their primary supermarket to Tesco, while 12% changed to Sainsbury’s and 11% switched to Morrisons (11%).

The number of respondents who have not visited a store in seven days or more was up by more than 50% compared to before the introduction of social distancing measures. There has also been a significant decrease in multiple weekly store visits, with the number of shoppers making three or more visits to stores in a seven day period decreasing by 27%. However, the number of shoppers visiting a store once a week has increased from 25% to 31%.

The research reveals spend is up, with 34% of respondents saying they have increased the amount they spend on their weekly shop by up to £50, while 7% has significantly increased the amount they spend beyond £50.

The other major change to shopping habits is that consumers now plan their shops – 88% of respondents use a shopping list when visiting a store.

In addition, 49% of respondents plan to stick to their new shopping habits entirely, while 37% only anticipate small changes towards pre-lockdown habits. Just 14% said they will fully revert to how they shopped pre-lockdown.

Saving money on shopping bills is key for consumers, with 89% saying the most important thing they would like to see from FMCG brands is discounted items. This far outweighs the desire for other content grocery brands could provide such as recipe ideas, which only 26% said they would like to see.

Stuart Sankey, Shopmium’s UK head, said: “Covid has changed shopping habits for good. Since lockdown and the introduction of social distancing measures, UK consumers have felt differently about going to stores, with many feeling nervous about the experience. Consequently, the UK has seen a reduction in the frequency of individual consumer visits but the good news for the FMCG sector is that spend appears to be going up.

“Now more than ever, it’s important for brands to listen to consumers, and help them address problems they may be facing. The fact that nearly a third of consumers have changed their primary supermarket is huge, and highlights a major opportunity for brands to win over consumers by responding quickly to their needs.

“With more than a third of consumers saying their disposable income has decreased as a result of coronavirus, and 89% saying they want to see discounts and money off products, FMCG brands must respond accordingly by increasing in-store and online offers. Brands that listen to consumers will enjoy the greatest gains, and not just for now but the foreseeable.”