Local market daily or supermarket monthly? - Grocery shopping around the world
Grocery shopping is a part of most cultures across the world, but not all shoppers have the same attitude - some are organized, some enthusiastic, some grudging. A global grocery shopping survey from Chicago research company Synovate explored the similarities and differences in grocery shopping behavior among 6,700 respondents across 10 markets (Brazil, Canada, France, Hong Kong, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Russia, Republic of Serbia, the United Arab Emirates and the U.S.). It seems that Americans stand out from the rest of the world in wanting an accessible, affordable, no-frills grocery-shopping experience. A few key findings include: six in 10 people across 10 countries shop with a grocery list, led by Malaysians (75 percent) and Americans and Canadians (both 74 percent); 72 percent of Americans prefer to buy local food brands; 49 percent of American shoppers want nothing more than to get in and get out; and 65 percent of American grocery shoppers think items are overpriced.
The study revealed that even seemingly simple questions like “How often do you shop?” and “Where?” inspired vastly different answers from market to market, culture to culture. Overall, a big weekly shop in the supermarket is the norm, with 39 percent of respondents across the 10 markets doing this. Results were then evenly split at 17 percent each across “one big shop a month plus extras,” “every day” and “whenever I have time.” Fifty-seven percent of American grocery shoppers do one big shopping trip a week, and 23 percent do their big shop on a monthly basis. Daily shoppers were found in Serbia (48 percent) and Russia (37 percent). Americans and Malaysians are the least likely to shop for groceries daily, both at 4 percent.
Overall, most respondents chose the supermarket as the place they buy their groceries (64 percent), followed by big hypermarkets/superstores (37 percent) and local non-chain grocery stores (29 percent). The Dutch (97 percent) and Americans (89 percent) are the most likely to shop at supermarkets. Only 10 percent of Americans say they do their grocery shopping at superstores, although 23 percent claim to want a one-stop-shop where they can take care of their grocery and other retail needs.
Almost half of Americans would buy groceries online if they could be sure the service was secure and they would receive the highest-quality food. Forty-four percent of Americans also say that loyalty programs are an important incentive when deciding where to shop.
Forty percent of people say they are spending less than they did 12 months ago, including 39 percent of Americans. While 62 percent of people globally said they would readily switch food brands if they found a cheaper alternative, the French (81 percent) and Americans (78 percent) were the most likely to agree that they would do this.
Forty-six percent of people buy grocery items in bulk to save money, led by the United Arab Emirates (77 percent), Malaysia (61 percent), and the U.S. (58 percent). Over three-quarters of the people surveyed agree that grocery items are overpriced and should be cheaper. Eight in 10 people think the government in their country should do more to monitor food prices, led by 94 percent in Serbia and 93 percent in Malaysia. Americans were the least likely to agree with this, at 41 percent.
Would shopping be better if there were different facilities? People in some markets think so, though Americans are among the least interested this trend. Forty-eight percent of people overall think adding a community or gathering place for people to meet friends and family was an interesting idea, though only 26 percent of Americans agreed. Fifty-nine percent of survey respondents think a playground is a good idea, topped by 86 percent in Serbia and 80 percent in Malaysia, but the idea did not interest the Dutch (70 percent disagree) or Americans (66 percent). More than half (56 percent) think the feeling of being outside, even while being inside, would be interesting, though the Dutch (65 percent disagree) and Americans (53 percent) again aren’t interested.
All things green are a major consideration for any business, and with 62 percent of people agreeing they would go out of their way to shop at an environmentally-friendly supermarket, that consideration is not misplaced. This drive to green is led globally by 86 percent of Russian respondents and 85 percent of Malaysians, while the Dutch (18 percent) and Americans (22 percent) are least interested in this. For more information visit www.synovate.com.
Media consumption changes; digital not always preferred
Among American adults ages 18-64, the future of traditional media, particularly newspapers, magazines and radio, is challenged by the rapid migration to digital alternatives. However, when it comes to purchase influence on consumers, traditional media remains more influential when compared to digital advertising, according to a consumer trend report from TargetCast tcm, a New York research company. The report also revealed a divide between men and women in how each gender engages with traditional media.
Men and women are consuming media differently. Men are more likely than women to indicate that printed news is a less-relevant source of news and information. Newspapers and magazines are not considered as relevant today and are easiest to eliminate from usage, yet score well in terms of attentiveness and purchase influence. The biggest usage declines were found among men and young adults (ages 18-34) in newspapers, magazines and radio. TV and Internet, respectively, were identified as most important media, though young adults rank the Internet as more important than TV.
Sixty percent of consumers say newspapers need to change the most to stay relevant, compared to 30 percent for magazines and nearly 20 percent for radio. Fewer than 10 percent feel that TV or the Internet needs to change to stay relevant. Nevertheless, respondents ages 35+ still consider newspaper ads to be more influential in determining their purchase decisions.
The majority of adults report that they are still using the same amount of each medium today as they were a year ago, but nearly a third say they are using less printed media (newspapers and magazines). Conversely, a third or more also report that they are using the Internet more as a source of information and entertainment.
A split exists between men and women in the way each gender engages with traditional media and embraces newer media. In general, men are more willing to adapt their usage habits to incorporate more digital and online platforms as replacements for traditional media. Women are more likely to hold strong with the traditional media and are more hesitant to embrace newer media.
There is also a generational difference in attention to digital media between young adults and those 35+. Young adults are more likely to have replaced newspapers and magazines with Internet content, while adults 25+ are more likely to consider magazines and newspapers as valuable sources of information. Adults ages 18-24 are more likely to say radio is not as relevant and that they prefer reading magazines online. Young adults are more likely than other consumer groups to consider advertising on the Internet influential in their purchase decision.
Forty percent of adults say that they prefer the experience of reading printed newspapers over online news sources. Newspapers also score well both in terms of ad attentiveness and purchase influence. However, when asked if they’d rather get news from online sources than from printed newspapers, the percentage of those who agreed versus disagreed was about the same, and people do not feel that newspapers are more trustworthy than online sources.
Seventy-two percent of consumers expect that sourcing the newspaper online should be free and are not willing to pay for an online newspaper subscription. Fifty-seven percent say they prefer the experience of reading a printed magazine over reading a magazine on the Internet, and 71 percent would not be willing to pay for an online magazine subscription to replace their printed magazine subscription. Only 15 percent of respondents overall agree that they’d rather read magazines online. Additionally, printed magazines score well in terms of ad attentiveness and purchase influence.
Forty-one percent of those surveyed indicate that radio is still relevant in today’s media environment. According to respondents, radio provides a great venue to discover new music that cannot be experienced elsewhere. Respondents overall prefer to listen to music through the radio station versus Internet stations or on their MP3 player. For more information visit www.targetcast.com.
Working moms big spenders on mobile services
Working moms, defined as women who are employed full-time and have one or more children in the household, are among the highest spenders in the U.S. on cellular phone services, spending 21 percent more than the average cellular user on their monthly wireless bills. The average cellular bill for working moms is $94, compared to $78 for all cell phone users, according to data from Scarborough Research, New York. This group of working moms accounts for 9 percent of the U.S. adult population (21.6 million adults) and 11 percent of all cell users.
Working moms are 42 percent more likely than the average cell user to download content to their phone and also more likely to utilize texting. Working moms are 14 percent more likely to plan to switch wireless carriers during the next year, which suggests that providers need to further establish brand loyalty within this group. In terms of what contributes to their cell usage, time spent in the car may be a factor. Working moms are 9 percent more likely than the average adult to have driven 1,000 or more miles during the past month.
“The working mother is the gatekeeper for purchases related to clothing, feeding and making a home for her family. Her high spending on cellular services together with her propensity to download content via her cell phone imply that mobile marketing could be an important platform for reaching her with product announcements, offers and other promotions,” says Howard Goldberg, senior vice president of agency services, Scarborough Research. For more information visit www.scarborough.com.
Consumers skimp on primary care and dental visits
Thirty-six percent of Americans say they are limiting their doctor visits because of the recession, according to data from the American Optometric Association, St. Louis. When asked which doctors they are visiting less, the majority indicated dentist (63 percent), followed by primary care physician (59 percent) and eye doctor (52 percent). Only 8 percent indicated that they are sticking to their regular health schedule.
Regardless of ethnicity, gender or geographic location, the recession appears to be affecting Americans’ health care decisions. When it comes to sticking to a regular health schedule during tough financial times, Hispanics are affected the most by the economy. Almost half indicated they are visiting doctors less often, compared with African-Americans (36 percent) and Caucasians (33 percent). The survey showed that 63 percent of Hispanics are limiting dentist visits, and 53 percent are cutting back on eye-doctor appointments.
More women (38 percent) than men (32 percent) said they are limiting doctor visits. In terms of specific doctors, women (53 percent) are more inclined to cut back on seeing an eye doctor than men (51 percent), although more women than men wear glasses or contact lenses than men (52 percent versus 48 percent).
Almost two-thirds of survey respondents living in rural areas said they have cut visits to their eye doctor, while 50 percent of urban and suburban respondents said they are changing their regular eye-care schedule. For more information www.aoa.org.
Social media reaches the city-chic
If you’re in the U.S. and are using a social network like Facebook, MySpace or LinkedIn, chances are you’re more affluent and more urban than the average American, but each Web 2.0 community has its own demographically-unique audience, according to research from San Diego-based Nielsen Claritas. Approximately half of the U.S. population visited a social networking Web site in the past year, with that number growing every quarter.
Nielsen Claritas defined U.S. households in terms of 66 demographically- and behaviorally-distinct segments, such as young digerati and beltway Boomers. When those segments are overlaid with the activity of Nielsen’s 200,000+ online panelists, differences emerged between the demographic makeup of the two largest social networks: Facebook and MySpace. Facebook users have a largely upscale profile. The top third of lifestyle segments relative to affluence were 25 percent more likely to use Facebook than those in the lower third. The bottom-third segments related to affluence were 37 percent more likely to use MySpace than those in the top-third. Users of Facebook were also much more likely to use LinkedIn than those who use MySpace.
The blogging and tweeting community at large isn’t necessarily more affluent, but bloggers and tweeters do live in more urban areas, such as New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Chicago. The penetration rates of the top-two most-visited blogging platforms (Blogger, Wordpress) and the most popular microblogging platform (Twitter) show that Nielsen’s 12 urban lifestyle segments are more likely to blog and tweet than Nielsen’s 22 town and rural segments.
Not surprisingly, those lifestyle segments most likely to blog and tweet also tend to use Facebook and LinkedIn more often than those that typically don’t blog or tweet. Case in point, the urban lifestyle segments for Blogger are 18 percent more likely to be Facebook users and 140 percent more likely to be LinkedIn users than the below-average segments. For more information visit www.claritas.com.
Chick-fil-A reigns for sixth year as America’s best drive-thru
The numbers are in and America’s best drive-thru is Chick-fil-A for a record-setting sixth year in a row, according to QSR magazine’s annual survey of restaurant chain drive-thrus, conducted by Insula Research, Columbus, Ohio. Chick-fil-A ranked No. 1 in two of the four categories tested, earning it the title of America’s Best Drive-Thru for 2009. With a composite score of 17.8, Chick-fil-A ranked more than 2 points higher than the next finisher, Taco Bell, which scored 15.6. Rounding out the top-five finishers were Del Taco (14.6), Krystal (13.6) and Wendy’s (13.6).
The Drive-Thru Performance Study tested fast-food companies in the categories of speed of service, order accuracy, speaker clarity and menu-board appearance. Other brands that ranked No. 1 in specific categories included Wendy’s for speed (averaging 134 seconds) and Whataburger for best menu-board. Chick-fil-A ranked No. 1 in speaker clarity and order accuracy, with 96.4 percent of orders filled accurately.
In addition to having the best drive-thru performance, Chick-fil-A also offered consumers the friendliest service, meaning it had the highest percentage of crew members who said “please” and “thank you,” smiled, made eye contact and had a pleasant demeanor. Following Chick-fil-A respectively were Jack in the Box, Arby’s, Carl’s Jr. and Rally’s. For more information visit www.qsrmagazine.com.
Rewards programs’ importance rises in poor economy
Nearly one-third of U.S. consumers consider their participation in retail rewards programs to be more important as they seek to stretch their household budgets in the recessionary economy, and some find the programs more integral than others, according to research from Colloquy, a Cincinnati marketing company. Over 46 percent of young adults (ages 18-25) and 44 percent of women (ages 25-49) rated the importance of their participation in retail rewards programs significantly higher than the general population.
While participation by the general population in loyalty programs rose 19 percent since last measured prior to the recession in 2007, the increase for women over the past two years was higher at 29 percent, with women trailing only young adults (32 percent) in that measurement. Women, at 73.6 percent, reported the highest level of retail rewards program participation and outpaced the next-closest segment (affluent) by 10.1 percentage points. The comparable number for the general population was 59 percent.
Retail rewards surpassed two other industry categories in the more-important rankings. Approximately 23.9 percent of general-population respondents rated financial services rewards program participation more important in a recession, and in the travel category the number was 21.5 percent. For more information visit www.colloquy.com.