10/1/13
Nearly six in 10 grocery shoppers (58%) always use their shopper loyalty cards when shopping, up from 47% who did so in 2011, according to Deloitte. More than one in three (39%) have more than three cards from different grocery stores, up 10 percentage points from one year ago. Eight in 10 (80%) say it’s fun to see how much money they save by using coupons and these loyalty cards.
The economy has changed grocery shoppers. More than nine in 10 (92%) say they have become more resourceful, 86% are more precise in what they buy, and 82% are more efficient at getting in and out of the store. However, those that say they are a lot smarter than a year ago dropped to 74% in 2012, from 79% in 2010.
Despite keeping a tight watch on their wallets, grocery shoppers are loosening up. They are less likely to say they are looking closely at every spending category to seek savings now than they did in 2010 (80% vs. 84%). Still, 72% say that, even though they are spending less on products now, it doesn’t feel as if they are sacrificing.
Grocery shoppers are focusing on tactics and retailers that work for them and limiting their loyalty to brands. Fewer cite “must have” brands in 2012 than in 2010 (29% vs. 33%). Shoppers are more likely in 2012 than in 2011 to purchase store brands in categories that they previously hadn’t (38% vs. 32%) and to feel as if they are sacrificing when they purchase a store brand over a national brand (35% vs. 31%). One in four (27%) intend to purchase more national brands in place of store brands as the economy improves, down from 35% who felt this way in 2011.
Nine in 10 grocery shoppers have figured out which store brands work for them and their families, and 86% have identified the most effective store brands. That said, 49% say it bothers them when they can’t afford to always purchase their preferred brands.
Interest in technology is stronger than actual usage. More than four in 10 shoppers (43%) would like to use online orders for in-store pick up, but only 14% currently do so. Similarly, 34% are interested in online ordering for at-home delivery, while only 11% currently do so. Few grocery shoppers are interested in online orders for at-home delivery with an automated order (13%) or currently use this service (7%).
SOURCE: Deloitte, Courtney Flaherty, 1633 Broadway, New York, NY 10019; 203-905-2708; cflaherty@deloitte.com; www.deloitte.com/us. Also, Pat Conroy, Vice Chairman Consumer Products, pconroy@deloitte.com.
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