Page 16 - Retail World March 2021

INDUSTRY INSIGHT NEW CONSUMPTION AND SHOPPING TRENDS TO STAY Much of the at-home consumption and grocery shopping behaviour ‘learned’ during 2020 is likely to stick around in 2021 and beyond. IBy Illuminera Executive Director Norrelle Goldring. lluminera’s Project Hearth*, a study of 2200 Australians recently undertaken to understand at-home consumption occasion and cooking and baking changes during the Covid era, indicates that consumers plan to continue with many of the behaviour patterns ‘learned’ during the earlier lockdown days of the pandemic. Project Hearth data identified that shoppers are shopping less often to reduce social contact in-store, with supermarket trips dropping typically to a weekly stock-up shop, and because shoppers are stocking their pantries to cook with more leftovers in mind. Indicatively, average weight of purchase per trip has thus increased. This behaviour is likely to stick while cluster coronavirus outbreaks persist, and further into 2021 as vaccine distribution progresses. This is because consumers indicated they have found that the greater time available to plan, prepare and cook meals, often bulk cooking meals on Sundays, has resulted in both efficiency and enjoyment, which they want to retain. Due to lesser commuting times and frequency, consumers have appreciated the increased time available to spend with family, and on cooking. One of the key determinants of the likelihood of retaining these desires is the prevalence and frequency of working from home. This looks set to continue in some capacity in the medium term, due not only to continued spot lockdowns, but also employee demand, with several recent reports suggesting office workers are looking for a maximum three-day week in the office and two to three days a week working from home. Several effects on cooking behaviour have been evident, stemming from the increased time available and frequency of cooking at home compared with eating out. One is the rise of the ‘snacking while cooking dinner’ occasion, typically on cheese and crackers (accompanied by a wine or G&T, perhaps). Another is increased experimentation and more elaborate and complex meals, including at breakfast and lunch, driven by an increase in skills and a need to expand cooking repertoires and cuisines beyond the typical 10-15 dinner recipes prepared on rotation. Retailers and brands can assist shoppers who are ‘roaming the supermarkets, desperate for inspiration’ by promoting co-located product categories bundled into ‘interesting’ – not just basic – meal solutions as a starting point. One of the major impacts of working from home has been on snacking. Earlier in the pandemic, the consumers we spoke with for Project Hearth were snacking not only more frequently but more indulgently: out of boredom and needing a break but also as treat and reward for not being able to go anywhere. However, as time has gone on, in a bid to lose the resulting ‘Covid kilos’ and because many people realise working from home in some fashion is likely to become an ongoing proposition for the foreseeable future, consumers are pragmatically seeking out healthier snacking options rather than reduce snacking frequency. So, there’s an upside for better-for- you snack categories and products, extending to categories such as soups, and we may find that traditional indulgence categories such as confectionery and salty snacks may struggle a little, particularly in light of reduced entertaining and socialising at home. This is because, despite consumer sentiment levels being at record highs in early December for the first time since July 2019 according to DBM Consultants** and other sources, and better than expected retail spending in late 2020, a percentage of consumers are still exercising caution in social environments. This is an edited summary extract of an Illuminera presentation given at a Shop! Association event on February 24. Sources: *Quantitative fieldwork and data collected 19-25 October, 2020. Sample size n=2,200 **DBM Atlas data as at November 2020. DBM is an Illuminera boutique. About Norrelle Goldring and Illuminera Norrelle Goldring is Executive Director of Illuminera Australia, part of the fast-growing APAC analytics, research, strategy and activation based Illuminera Group of companies that specialises in consumer goods and retail. For more information about Project Hearth or a copy of the report, contact Norrelle at norrelle.goldring@illuminera. com or call +61 411 735 190. For more information, visit illuminera.com. 14 RETAIL WORLD MAR, 2021