New sales opportunities from consumer pandemic pivot

An international report on consumer shopping behaviour has revealed how buying habits have changed since the start of the global pandemic. Overall, the changes provide significant opportunities for olive producers, and food for thought for many in terms of their current sales and product offerings.

Nearly half of Australian consumers report that their shopping habits have changed since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and will continue or change further into the future.

That’s the finding of the YouGov International FMCG/CPG report 2021: Consumer goods in a crisis report, which examines consumers’ attitudes to fast moving/consumer packaged goods across 17 global markets.

We all remember the panic-buying at the start of the pandemic as lockdowns were announced. It heralded a huge change from the day-to-day shopping habits of most consumers and a year later 48% of Australians surveyed for the report say their shopping habits are different to those of pre-pandemic days.

Pantry items popular

With ‘stay at home’ being the norm for most people over the past year or so, shoppers have stocked up on items across a number of categories. Food cupboard items are among the top listings, with 27% of consumers increasing their consumption – and therefore purchases.

As was online shopping

And while only one in five (20%) of Singaporeans said they buy their groceries or household essentials online, just over half of the Australians surveyed (51%) had purchased online in the previous month.

Future forecast

YouGov also asked shoppers how they foresee their habits changing, or continuing, into the future as a result of the pandemic. The results may make some producers want to re-think their offering.

A third of the surveyed consumers (34%) say they are now more likely to buy things in bulk.

What it means for producers: for those packaging in small bottles only, this raises the question of whether a wider size range may be more appropriate in the future. This also supports feedback from some growers of increased demand for 2L bag-in-box packaged product during the pandemic.

Almost as many (32%) agree they will be shopping more online. This trend is even more prevalent in younger shoppers (aged 25 to 34), with just over half (51%) intending to order more online, while only 16% of shoppers over the age of 55 said that they will make more use of online ordering and delivery.

What it means for producers: despite the attitude of some older shoppers, a third of the surveyed customers means there’s a clear continuing trend to online shopping. For those who’ve resisted offering online sales, or set up temporary systems for sales during lockdown periods, this may point to value in investing in a web-shop.

Two thirds (66%) of surveyed consumers said they will make more of an effort to support local businesses and half (50%) say they will buy more sustainable products in the future.

What it means for producers: there’s never been a better time to celebrate your regionality and increase your presence in your local market. Perhaps think about joining forces with other businesses to support and promote each other, and/or advertise more locally.

And do your labels, packaging and website promote your ‘story’ well, in terms of both regionality and sustainable practices and products? They’re your number one marketing tools, so if they’re not reflecting what consumers want to hear (i.e. local and sustainable) it may be time for a design make-over.

The full report can be downloaded at www.business.yougov.com. There’s also a different take on the subject in the article Consumers trend towards healthy, local food during COVID-19 in the R&D Insights section of the June edition.