COVID-19 continues to reshape consumers’ food purchasing behaviours, ranging from the products they buy to the places they shop.
Glanbia Nutritionals has been tracking recent changes in food purchasing behaviours through weekly consumer surveys in the US. Early on we saw a decline in restaurant visits and a rise in the purchase of packaged retail foods, with protein and energy bars standing out as go-to nutrition solutions.
We also saw in-store grocery purchases decline from Week 1 to Week 2 but then level off in Week 3 at 77 percent. Now, in Week 4, in-store grocery purchasing has dipped again as only 72 percent of consumers reported visiting a store in-person for their grocery shopping.
Instead, many consumers are switching to purchasing their groceries online. Our survey showed that online grocery shopping penetration increased from 75 percent of the population (before the COVID-19 crisis) to 94 percent of the population. Nineteen percent of consumers who had originally never purchased groceries online now report at least some usage of online grocery shopping.
In addition, the percentage of consumers who often or always bought their groceries online has shot up from 24 percent (before the COVID-19 crisis) to 59 percent. Online grocery shopping has become the new normal for many consumers across the country as they seek to minimize their exposure to COVID-19.
While consumers and food retailers adjust their behaviors to cope with the current situation, food and beverage manufacturers are left to consider how these changes will affect their sales. For example, the shift to online grocery shopping means that a growing number of consumers are experiencing products in a very different way.
Since online shoppers won’t be browsing the store shelves, premium placement on store shelves is irrelevant. The way a product looks is still important, but it will be as an image on a grocery shopping app rather than the way it looks in person. Online grocery shopping also gives consumers the option to quickly filter products by features such as organic, gluten-free, and vegan.
For the full story visit Glanbia Nutritionals website. For more insights on consumers’ changing attitudes, perceptions, and behaviours around food, contact Glanbia Nutritionals today.