Kroger Precision Marketing Research on Consumer Grocery Shopping Habits
New research from Kroger Precision Marketing, powered by 84.51° reveals detailed findings about consumer grocery shopping habits. Consumer Digest: A Product Innovation Examination reports on the willingness of shoppers to stray from their favorite brands and experiment with new brands and innovative products.
A top line finding was eye opening: Shoppers are overwhelmingly open-minded. Even though shoppers have their favorite brands, at some point, everyone needs a change of pace. The report found that nearly 7 out of 10 (68%) say they’re open to trying innovative and unique products.
The report explains what “new” really means to consumers when they decide to try something different, and what actually helps them break their autopilot habits. One key finding: despite innovation being a buzzword, most shoppers aren’t expecting existing brands to blow them away with something completely out of the box.
The numbers explain the reasonably low bar consumers have set to define “innovation”:
- 88 percent of shoppers say that a new flavor is innovative
- 56 percent say seasonal versions check their innovation box
Where Innovation Reaches Shoppers
Grocery shoppers exhibit a high quotient of spontaneity. The data suggests that even when shoppers have a list heading into the store, they’re still open to new items if something piques their interest.
The choice to buy innovative products largely happens at the point of purchase with 80% of respondents saying they make the decision to try something new in-store, with nearly an identical number (79%) saying they discover new items via In-Store Displays or Promotions.
Shoppers do their homework too, as 41% of shoppers who discovered new items through digital advertisements are already primed when they encounter those products in-store.
These findings suggest that grocers and CPGs should anticipate this decision-making pattern and orient their marketing spend to meet customers at the point of impact. The report provided insight into how grocers and CPGs can solution for the highest impact in the midst of a shopping experience:
- End Caps still matter: 68 percent of in-store shoppers expect to find innovation on endcaps (compared to just 22 percent in the checkout areas)
- Consumers respond to Online prompting: For those who shop online, 51 percent rely on ads for new products, with just under half looking at the savings page and 37 percent hoping to see innovation in their suggested products
Converting the Open-Minded Grocery Shopper
Building prior awareness on digital channels and then driving the point home in-store paves the way for in-the-moment buying decisions.
The top three ways consumers reported as their means of discovering new items were:
- In-store displays or promotions
- Word of mouth
- Digital media advertisements
There’s much more in this report from Kroger Precision Marketing and if you are interested in grocery retail, we encourage you to download the report here. For Members of the Loyalty Academy™ Certified Loyalty Marketing Professional™ community, the report is waiting for you in the CLMP™ Information VAULT.