TRENDING: Retail’s radical shopper behaviour changes

By Louise Burgers, Retailing Africa Editor. As part of its annual comprehensive consumer research studies, Bateleur Brand Planning included some questions from Retailing Africa on how shopper behaviour had changed post-pandemic; and as the current cost-of-living crisis hits basic baskets hard.

In recent months, Retailing Africa tasked Bateleur with answering questions on which grocery items are no longer used; and which grocery and household items consumers have cut back on. The research study also looked at how consumer behaviour differed, compared to five years ago.

In this study, Bateleur conducted a short online survey which yielded 611 respondents. The respondents were 58% female and 42% male; and 85% resided in either Gauteng, Kwa-Zulu Natal or Western Cape. The respondents’ ages ranged from 20 to 70; and they were in a wide range of life stages – 46% of the respondents had kids, while 54% had no kids living at home. Bateleur achieved a good survey spread of upper, mid and lower income groups, with 68% of the respondents also currently employed.

Key findings

With a sharp increase in the cost of living, luxury items were the first to go. Consumers have unsurprisingly, cut back or stopped using many popular items. Ready-made meals and store-cooked meals were at the top of the list. Men were much less inclined to cut back on these though. Older people reported a significantly higher rate of no longer using technology. The older and wiser population cut down on tobacco; while the younger generation was much less inclined to cut down on this.

A high 80% of respondents have cut back on entertainment. There was mostly parity in demographics, so not one age, gender or income group stood out as cutting this expense back more. A shocking 38% had cut back on groceries in general, with women being the first to do this. Men, however, were more inclined to cut back on vehicle expenses. The biggest change in consumer behaviour was buying more no-name items in the grocery store and making things from scratch. People between the ages of 20 to 30 years were much more likely to make things at home, than go out and buy.

“Convenience and frivolity are the victims of the current economic cutbacks as consumers forego fun, fancy brand names and instant meals to make month-end meet,” says Gordon Hooper, founder and CEO of Bateleur Brand Planning.

Changes in shopping behaviour

QUESTION: What grocery products have you cut or reduced from your shopping list due to rising prices?

Household expenses cut back

QUESTION: Which expenses have you cut back on in your household due to rising costs?

QUESTION: How has your shopping behaviour changed in the last 5 years?

 

Visit Retailing Africa’s LIBRARY for more significant shopper research studies from Bateleur Brand Planning:

 

https://retailingafrica.com/e-books/ebook-the-fears-fantasies-of-sa-shoppers-bateleur/

https://retailingafrica.com/e-books/ebook-exclusive-shopper-research-from-bateleur-vantage-point-survey/

Louise Burgers is the Publisher, Editor and Co-Founder of RetailingAfrica.com. She has spent over 20 years writing about the FMCG retailing, marketing, media and advertising industry in South Africa and on the African continent. She also lectures post-grad students in Marketing and Advertising Communications at the Red & Yellow Creative School of Business; and works with the global Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) Council in the Africa region on editorial strategy. Specialising in local and Africa consumer trends, Louise is a passionate Afro-optimist who believes it is Africa’s time to rise again and that the Africa Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) will be a global gamechanger this decade.

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