Talking Retail: Consumers widening their shopping repertoires, report finds

The consultancy’s Shopper Stock Take Index, which is based on 1,000 responses, found consumers now use five stores or websites a fortnight.

The biggest change in the five channels covered by the report was in the use of discounter stores – up 13% on 2017 figures to 57% of UK shoppers. The use of the Big Four supermarkets rose by 4% on 2017 figures to 83%.

However, there was no significant change in the use of convenience stores, with 49% of respondents using the shopping channel.

Shoppercentric found 33% of consumers switch stores based on what they need – to get the best places for what they want, compared to 28% in 2017.

The research revealed that three in four shoppers are avoiding being tempted to buy things they don’t need, one in two shoppers are going out of their way to find the best prices and will split shopping across different stores to get the best deals, and three in five are now buying own label where possible to keep costs down.

Danielle Pinnington, managing director at Shoppercentric, said: “With shoppers picking and choosing between stores for particular items based on their own experience of how well different retailers deliver, there is even greater pressure to differentiate and create memorable in-store experiences. Equally, avoiding or challenging misconceptions based on bad experiences has become more important.

“If, as our report shows, shoppers are actively widening their repertoires, loyalty as we used to know it is an outdated term. This is not the year to hunker down and hope the storm passes over with limited damage. Now is the time to get out and about amongst today’s consumers and shoppers so that marketing strategies resonate with their needs, flexing as those needs change to cope with whatever 2018 throws at them.”