Australian shoppers make approximately 37 shopping trips every month and, if retailers want success during these trips, they need to put their shopper at the centre of what they do, reveals the latest Nielsen Shopper Trends report.
Nielsen Pacific Executive Director for Consumer Insights Frank Caristo says that Australian shoppers are more time-constrained when buying their food and groceries, with shoppers now making four trips less per month when compared to 2015.
Factors influencing store choice
Compared to the rest of the world, Australia ranks among the highest countries for the proportion of total grocery sales sold on promotion. However, while value for money is important when choosing where to shop, Australians are looking for a more rounded in-store experience. High quality products, wide product selection and everything available in one shopping trip are among the top influencers of store choice.
Brands too have their part to play when influencing store choice through the products they range and whether their packaging and products make shoppers feel good.
Experience over products
While product offerings need to be valuable to the end consumer, what shoppers are looking for in store is ‘experience’ over ‘products’, says the report.
Tied into these experience attributes is product quality – a key component that influences perceptions of value and store equity for shoppers.
Quest for convenience outside the store
As well as the convenience that shoppers seek in-store, shoppers are also opting for convenient shopping solutions out-of-store.
Breaking down shopper barriers like hidden charges, product quality concerns, the ability to examine products, and overcoming inconvenient delivery times are just some of the main ways to directly improve the path-to-purchase while maximising online grocery’s growth rate.
With a high proportion of grocery purchasing being on promoted products, lower brand loyalty, more retail fragmentation and the rise of e-commerce, brands need to shift their focus from a price-mindset to a shopper experience-mindset.