Dive Brief:
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Men shop for groceries just as often as women, but female shoppers still spend more per trip, according to a VideoMining Grocery Shopper Impact (GSI) MegaStudy. On average, women spend $2.73 more per trip.
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The study also found 20% of shoppers avoid the center store and shop the perimeter, up from 12% five years ago. Nearly 70% of grocery trips are made for 10 items or fewer.
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Smaller grocery trips, changing demographics, and shoppers’ self-limitation to the perimeter of the store means grocers and food manufacturers must ensure their marketing messages are targeted and precise, the study’s authors said.
Dive Insight:
The myth that women are solely responsible for household shopping persists, but reality paints a different picture. Today, both men and women visit the grocery store in nearly equal numbers — women account for 51% of grocery shoppers, and men 49%.
This doesn't necessarily mean the genders share purchasing behaviors, however. In general, men are more likely to shop online and at club and convenience stores than women. They also are are more likely to have a plan of what they want to buy (if not an actual list) and stick to it, according to a recent Hartman Group report. Men are less price sensitive on average than women shoppers, so grocers may find there are opportunities to sell more expensive items to this group.
Women are still more likely to be the household’s primary shopper – which is likely to account for much of the difference in spending – but this depends on the demographic. Millennial men with children are significantly more likely to visit a grocery store four or more times a week, according to Packaged Facts. The market researcher found that this group tended to spend more on groceries than others – about $170 a week, compared to an average of $108.
As shopper demographics and behaviors change, retailers may need to reconsider store design as well. A layout that works for larger shopping trips may not be as effective as both male and female shoppers switch to smaller shopping trips and store perimeter shopping. VideoMining, the company behind this latest study, has developed a tool to track the shopper’s typical path around the grocery store in order to optimize layout and work out where there may be the best opportunities for promotional items. It may be wise for retailers to invest in similar tech in order to best leverage coveted perimeter space, or find ways to increase the productivity in other underutilized parts of the store.
