87% of shoppers are making changes in reaction to the recession

87% of UK households are making changes in reaction to the recession – according to new research by Shoppercentric, an independent agency specialising in shopper behaviour research

With more than a thousand online interviews conducted with the main grocery shopper for each household, the purpose of the research is to provide a clear picture of exactly how shopper behaviour is changing – right now and in the future. The research identified four key attitude groups among shoppers:
1. Unaffecteds – 13% of shoppers who seem confident that their situation or their existing spending patterns mean they won't be affected by the recession.
2. Planners – 15% of shoppers who haven't been affected yet, but are making changes just in case. The majority have noticed their household costs going up, and are planning for the worst in terms of the recession.
3. Soft Reactors – 48% of shoppers. These shoppers claim they have had to make changes to household spending because of the recession, but that so far these changes are small. The tactics they particularly favour include switching to Own Label brands, sticking to large main grocery shopping trips rather than top-up shops.