Consumer priorities and purchasing habits are expected to change over time, but last year we saw projected trends accelerate exponentially as well as the introduction of entirely new concerns when we were plunged into a global pandemic. As providers of essential goods, grocery stores have been hit hard with unexpected surges in demand for certain items while working to safely provide their communities with the products they need. In-store shopping experiences changed drastically as grocery stores had to adapt to new concerns such as social distancing and an increased demand for services like curbside pickup.

Helping businesses track these trends in order to invest their efforts strategically is why Intouch Insight launched our bi-annual Changes in Consumer Habits reports while businesses in many regions began to open their doors again. We’re excited to announce that our first report of 2021 is now available here and we’ll share some of the top level findings below.

Gimme the good news

After the tumultuousness of last year, it’s comforting to see that some trends are sticking around. In the spring of 2020, cleanliness, crowd control, and contactless service topped the list of most important factors when consumers were deciding whether or not to visit a store. By the fall, these priorities had shifted to convenience and location, price, and cleanliness with our most recent report showing these remain the primary concerns.

We are seeing consumers’ comfort levels with making in store purchases continue to increase with 64% of respondents indicating they felt either comfortable or very comfortable entering a physical store - marking a 6% increase from the fall. This has also led to the continued rise of more frequent in-store purchases with 43% of March respondents indicating they make multiple in-store purchases a week.

Keep it clean

While price and convenience are back to being king, the expectations on grocery stores to provide a safe and secure shopping experience remain high. The availability of disinfectant and hand wipes, staff and customers wearing personal protective equipment, and limiting the number of patrons allowed inside at a time are some of the top initiatives consumers say make them feel more comfortable making in-store purchases.

In fact, over half of respondents reported changing when they visit stores to avoid high traffic times – making it more important than ever to ensure a consistent customer experience whenever and wherever they choose to visit you. Conducting regular audits and inspections of your locations to ensure they are adhering to your safety guidelines and implementing consistent health and safety procedures are excellent tools in delivering on these expectations.

No drop in digital

Concerns around in-store shopping caused by the pandemic resulted in a surge in the already growing popularity of online shopping but we’re also seeing this impact buyer journey’s when visiting a physical location. As consumers work to limit multiple store visits or reduce time in-store making a decision, 45% of respondents indicated spending more time conducting online research prior to making an in-store purchase

Using your digital properties to ensure consumers know you are adhering to the new expectations regarding health and safety measures as well as sharing services you provide such as delivery or curbside pickup will help customers feel comfortable choosing your store. Curbside pickup continues to be the most popular alternative service for grocery stores with 86% of respondents indicating it is their preferred alternative method of shopping followed by delivery at 41% and 80% of respondents who have used one of these alternative services indicate they plan to continue using them.

Take time to listen

One way grocery stores can step up their game in 2021 is by ensuring they are collecting customer feedback. Over half of March respondents reported they were not asked about their experiences despite 80% indicating that, when asked, they do provide feedback. This is invaluable data for any grocery stores looking to make informed decisions to drive brand loyalty and repeat business.

Companies that are collecting solicited feedback are favouring surveys with 74% of respondents indicating this was the method used followed by requests for online reviews at 49%. Customers that wanted to be heard despite not being asked drastically favoured posting online with 74% of respondents indicating this was how they provided unsolicited feedback with email coming in a distant second at 26%.

What’s next?

It’s encouraging to see consumers’ being increasingly comfortable returning to stores in-person but it’s important not to lose sight of the heightened concerns around health and safety in order to keep this trending upwards.

Given the continued impact digital properties have on in-store purchases, consider a virtual mystery shopping initiative to better understand how consumers interact with your business online in order to make it the best experience possible going forward.

Intouch Insight will continue to track trends in our Changes in Consumer Habits reports but we highly recommend initiatives to listen to your specific audience. Given the metrics above, social listening tools and a well developed survey program are the top two ways to collect feedback from your customers.

Finally, if you’ve found any of the trends discussed here useful, you can download the full Consumer Habits report, for free, here.