Buying beer a shameful thing?

According to eye camera research conducted by GfK Hungária, shopping decisions regarding beer take only 1-2 minutes and often cause shoppers to feel ashamed. The question of whether buying beer is a shameful thing or not, is quite complex. Buying alcohol is not a shameful thing, but many of us tend to feel ashamed during the process. Eye camera research allows us to see what consumers are looking at and to record the time spent looking at certain products. The average shopper who buys beer is a middle aged male. It usually takes him 1-2 minutes to make up his mind. The decision making process can be quite different for different segments. For example, hedonistic young adults choose a trendy brand for partying, while pensioners decide which brand to buy on the basis of price. However, they seem to share a common feeling of shame during the process of purchasing. This can be detected from a change in behaviour occurring when they approach the beer category. A confident or bored attitude is replaced by a rather hesitant one which is intended to convey the impression that they don’t want to buy beer. They want to get the purchase over with in the shortest possible time, without even looking at what they are grabbing on the shelf. The largest part of the time is consumed by looking at and comparing products. Following the purchase, shoppers disappear from the vicinity of beer as quickly as possible. Many of them even hide beer under other products. Naturally, there are exceptions as well. Trendy and expensive beers do not tend to get hidden and younger adults seem far less ashamed than older ones, often not making any attempt to hide their beers at all. Younger shoppers also make up their minds more quickly. Information like this can be useful for manufacturers who want to improve the effectiveness of their placement by reducing the frustrations linked to buying beer.