Convenience is king for new breed of shopper

Published: 24 April, 2012

New consumer research by Diageo GB has found 93% of shopping trips in the convenience off-trade are for "something for tonight" as opposed to a routine shop or for an event.

The in-depth research project into shopper behaviour found consumers are willing to pay a premium as a trade off for the convenience of their experience.

Conducted with Kantar Worldpanel, Shopper Centric & HiM!, the study found convenience is growing in relevance, with "significant growth in spend in convenience format stores". In total, 85% of people live within a quarter mile of a convenience store; 50% walk to and from a store; and 59% of shoppers visit a convenience store two or more times a week.

"Fuelled by long term trends such as the rise in single person households, an increase in the number of women in work, more shoppers missing meals, and a lack of detailed meal planning, the sector is expected to continue to grow strongly, with IGD forecasting a 5.5% CAGR between 2012 and 2016," the report said.

Premix is perfect for the 'something for tonight' shopping mission and is the fastest growing segment in convenience, according to the research. Stock should be kept chilled with 60% of shoppers intending to consume their premix on the day of purchase.

Only 21% of spirits volume purchased as 'something for tonight' is bought on promotion versus 36% on event shopping trips, the study found. Price marked packs also reassure consumers they are getting fair value and improve the price image of a convenience store in their eyes.

In total, 41% of convenience shoppers say they want clearer pricing; 86% of consumers would trust the price on a price marked pack over the price on the shelf; and one third of shoppers will be encouraged to buy a product if it is price marked.

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