What you need to know about British shoppers: January Shopper Vista Update (IGD)

 Date : 03 February 2021
Rhian Tomas, head of insight - Shoppervista & FTG

1. Rising confidence with vaccine rollout

Our Shopper Confidence Index, while still relatively low, increased slightly to -5 in January, the highest level since February’20. Highest ever recorded levels of trust in the industry are helping to maintain the overall index despite shopper concerns about their financial futures. As the economic impacts of the pandemic become clearer expect shoppers to adapt their behaviours.

2. Return to less shopping around

Shoppers are once again visiting fewer stores and using different channels; the average number of stores visited has dropped from 12.1 in December 2020 to 11.1 in January. These changes are not consistent across all channels. Staying close to these shifting dynamics will be important when developing channels plans.

3. Lockdown shopping habits re-emerge

Bigger baskets are becoming more common once again as shoppers seek to make the most of every trip. January has seen an increase in the proportion completing main or big shop missions (34% Jan’21 vs. 30% Dec’20). Ensuring availability will be vital to avoid shoppers switching to alternative products or brands.

4. Changing financial concerns

Shopper financial concerns around factors like job security or lack of wage increases are on the rise; 53% of those who expect to be worse off in the year ahead state no wage increases are a worry compared to 42% this time last year. These concerns are likely to mean shoppers will need to pay closer attention to their spend on food and groceries.

5. Planning norm

Over two thirds of all shoppers, regardless of channels, are planning their purchases in advance therefore opportunities to influence at the point of purchase are reduced. Making the most of pre-shop interactions and touchpoints will be even more important.