The changing face of Australian grocery shoppers

The latest Focus Insights 2022 Grocery Shopper Report again highlights the need for suppliers and retailers alike to be mindful of changes in shopper behaviours and to focus on regularly reviewing these changes as a means of assessing where both innovation and product and promotional offers align with shopper trends and expectations.

From a macro level, we see that the earlier trends in changes in shopper behaviour continue post the Covid period, and are in line with pre-Covid trends. From a top-line perspective, there has been a move back to the supermarket for fresh items, after increased support levels for independent operators such as butchers and greengrocers at the height of the pandemic.

A key outtake from the table above highlights these continued trends and the need for focus of retailers to allocate the appropriate space, innovation, offers, freshness management and excitement to keep their shopper’s interest in these important categories and allow for a more complete shopper basket profile from these categories and centre of the store.

From a supplier perspective, it also means focusing at a channel level to ensure the appropriate tailored solutions to enhance their role in each channel, allowing them to maximise their revenue and margins. In simple terms, suppliers need to focus on the key elements of ‘what is their role in the category’ and ‘what do they want to be famous for’ and activate those plans that deliver and enhance that profile.

The Focus Insights 2022 Grocery Shopper Report also highlights trends among fruit and vegetable shoppers: this profile is important for both retailers and suppliers alike on how they maximise these changes in behaviour to innovate new product offerings that meet shopper expectations. There has been a move back towards more loose/single items after the increased demand for pre-packaged fruit and vegetables during the peak of the pandemic where more consumers demanded pre-packaging as a “protection” against other people touching/handling the product. There has also been a noticeable shift toward packaged/prepared meal size portions which supports the ongoing shopper trends for more meal kits and meal solutions.

The current trend of plant-based purchasing by shoppers also continues with 39 per cent of Australian shoppers having purchased a plant-based meal product, up from 27 per cent last year. While this category continues to experience strong growth and interest, price (it is perceived as too expensive) is still the number one reason why people are not continuing to buy (or try) plant-based meat alternatives.

With the constantly changing supermarket environment, it is imperative, that retailers and suppliers keep abreast of shopper behaviours and preferences and be open and agile in responding to the evolving and ever-changing behaviour of Australian grocery shoppers.

To learn more, register for the Focus Insights 2022 Grocery Report webinar here.