Over two thirds of Canadians think grocery items are overpriced
29 octobre 2009
TORONTO — Global market research firm Synovate today released data from its global grocery shopping survey revealing that over two thirds (74%) of Canadians think grocery items are overpriced and 64% think the government should do more to monitor food prices. Additionally, two-thirds said they'll switch food brands if they find a cheaper alternative and more than half (56%) of Canadians buy grocery items in bulk just to save a few bucks!
Rob Myers, Managing Director of Synovate Canada, said, "It's largely about the economy and general uncertainty. They are still doing whatever is needed to tighten their spending."
Synovate asked more than 6,700 people across 10 markets, including 950 Canadians, to spill the beans on their grocery shopping approach.
Aisle style
Canada is a multi-cultural country with different types of specialty grocery stores around the city so simple questions like 'how often do you shop?' and 'where?' inspire vastly different answers across the market. Overall, a big weekly shop in the supermarket is the 'norm' for 54% of the population.
Stores are spread out around the city so travelling is an issue for some. Seventeen percent of the respondents do one big shop a month plus extras, and another 17% will grocery shop whenever they have time.
The majority of Canadians (82%) buy their groceries from supermarkets. Over a third (40%) of Canadians also likes to buy in bulk to save by hitting the big hypermarkets. Partially because supermarkets may not have all the authentic ingredients for non-western cooking, 20% of the population prefers shopping at local (non-chain store) grocery stories.
It's about spending time
Even if you only grocery shop for one hour a week during your adult life, you will end up spending in excess of 3,000 hours of your life in the supermarket. Whether you like or don't like being there, that's a big chunk of time. So what do people most want from a grocery shopping experience?
The overall top grocery shopping 'want' is to 'get in and get out as quickly as possible with what I need', with half the population nominating this as what they most desire from the experience.
Myers said that grocery shopping is regular, usually weekly, for Canadians and is often viewed as a chore.
"Given the hectic pace of life it makes perfect sense that the better set up the store has, the faster people can get in and out, and the happier they will be with their shopping experience."
With more mega or super stores opened, a quarter of Canadians enjoy having lots of time to themselves to browse while another 20% are after a one-stop-shop where they can buy everything (over and beyond groceries) under one roof.
Go for groceries and gossip?
Would shopping be better if there were different facilities? For the in-and-out shoppers perhaps not, but people in some markets expressed interest in a variety of supermarket features.
Should supermarkets and grocery stores try to become more for more people? It clearly depends on where in the world they are located.
- A quarter of Canadian respondents thought adding a community or gathering place for people to meet friends and family was an interesting idea.
- Thirty percent thought a playground was a good idea for stores.
- Twenty-four percent of the population thought a place for men to relax and wait for shoppers was worth considering.
- Forty-five percent thought creating a feeling of being outside, even though you were inside, would be interesting.
Myers explains, "Grocery shopping is a weekly task, and in Canada if both partners are involved both are shopping and no one is relaxing. This is very consistent with our findings that the majority of Canadians prefer an efficient grocery shopping experience."
Green groceries and sustainable supermarkets
Clearly all-things-green are a major consideration for any business. Surprisingly, only a little over a third of Canadians agree they would go out of their way to shop at an environmentally-friendly supermarket.
The survey also found that close to three-quarters found the idea of recycling facilities in supermarkets and grocery stores interesting.
"Canadians are generally been very supportive to green programs, and people are currently adjusting to the 'no plastic bag' policy. However a willingness to spend more for these programs is still limited. Overtime we see a strong trend to environmental shopping experience becoming a necessity rather than a benefit." said Myers.
Curiosities
- Only 1% of Canadians grocery shop online, a very small segment. However, 23% agreed they would buy online if they were sure of security and that they would receive the highest quality food.
- About two-thirds of Canadians shop with a list.
- A third of Canadians are spending less on food and other supermarket items than they did 12 months ago.
- 58% of Canadian respondents always go to the supermarkets, hypermarkets or grocery stores that offer the biggest discounts.
- Close to half of Canadians (47%) agree that loyalty programs are an important incentive to them when deciding where to shop.
About the survey
This Synovate survey on grocery shopping was conducted in July 2009 across 10 markets – Brazil, Canada, France, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Netherlands, Russia, Republic of Serbia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the United States of America (US). It covered over 6,700 grocery shoppers. For more information on this survey, visit www.synovate.com/insights.
Contact(s) for this press release
|
Henrietta Sung
Marketing Manager |
|
|
Telephone: +1 647 837 5053 |
|
Synovate, the market research arm of Aegis Group plc, generates consumer insights that drive competitive marketing solutions. The network provides clients with cohesive global support and a comprehensive suite of research solutions. Synovate employs over 6,400 staff across 62 countries.
For more information on Synovate visit www.synovate.com.