Has the Recession Changed Shopping Habits

According to research, the recession has drastically changed attitudes to shopping, compared to the economic boom of the mid naughties. Shopping Behaviour Xplained Ltd (press release "Supermarket shopper needs have significantly changed since 2007" (July 2010, accessed July 2010) have just completed a body of work comparing shopper's behaviour and attitudes between 2007 and 2009/2010.


Changing Attitudes to Shopping in the Recession

The project involved looking at the behaviour of more than 8,500 shoppers buying different types of food in a number of supermarkets. Managing Director of Shopping Behaviour Xplained Ltd (SBXL), Mr Phillip Adcock said: “2008 saw the start of the recession in the UK. The credit crunch made it harder for Shoppers to borrow money, buy a house and generally keep the up with the credit life style that they had previously enjoyed."




Shopping in the Economic Downturn

In a separate study by Shoppercentric - an independent agency specialising in shopper behaviour research, 87% of UK households are making changes in reaction to the recession (their research was conducted by thousand online interviews with the main grocery shopper for each household.) More on this can be read at the article "Shopping through the recession: 40% of consumers have changed the shops they us". (internetretailing.net - March 2009, accessed July 2010)

Online Shopping in a Recession

However, the trend in shoppers tightening their belts hasn't seemed to've carried over to the online world, where revenue from online purchases in the UK during May 2010 actually increased by 22 per cent on the figure for the same period last year, according to the e-retail Sales Index. (Article 'UK Online spending rises by 22%' June 2010, accessed July 2010) Shopsafe.co.uk say that in May 2010, consumers in the UK spent over £4.5 billion: just over £73 for every single shopper in the country.

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Emotional Impact of Recession on Shoppers

The SBXL research also looked at the effect the downturn could be having on people's feelings - and subsequently their shopping habits. Shoppers are apparently becoming more business minded and less of a push-over when it comes to telling them what to buy. Adcock said: "In essence they are becoming less happy and more greedy, even angry in some cases."

So supermarkets could have a harder time convincing the recessionary shopper that they NEED the products they're selling them. The research suggests people are less likely to ‘throw caution to the wind’ and are examining the financial implication of more of the things they buy.


Author Sunil S.

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