UK shoppers faced with new price challenges

As the cost-of-living crisis spreads, more consumers are feeling the pinch and looking at alternatives to make grocery shopping less expensive and stressful. Our latest wave of the Grocery Eye looks at how grocery shopping behaviours and priorities are changing and what it means for retailers and manufacturers.

Julie Vigne Senior Research Director 16/02/2023

We fully expected our latest Grocery Eye results to reflect the arduous impact of the cost-of-living crisis on grocery shopping, but maybe not to the extent that it did.

What used to be a fairly enjoyable activity laced with some curiosity and excitement has transitioned to something most shoppers are now dreading, with 1 in 5 feeling anxious about upcoming shopping trips.

Many are trying to find ways to keep their grocery budget under control, with 39% planning to make changes to where and how they shop in the next twelve months, primarily for financial reasons.

At shelf-level and point-of-sale, the focus is very much on price and promotions, with the excitement of discovering new products much less top of mind unless there is a price incentive attached to it.

This, however, brings new shopping experience issues and makes ‘availability’ and ‘difficulty finding what I am looking for’ the top 2 and 3 shopper frustrations, after price.

Of course, there are some nuances across audiences, mostly based on age and resilience to the crisis. But it is clear that all audiences are impacted and are developing coping mechanisms which are and will continue to drive their retailer and brand purchase decisions.