The coronavirus situation is forcing grocery shoppers out of their usual consumption patterns, most often when their preferred brands are unavailable, according to recent consumer surveys.
A survey by AlixPartners found that 65% of respondents tried new national or new private-label brands during March, and of those, 79% did so because their preferred brand was out of stock. This new sampling, forced though it may have been, appears to have some traction: At least one-quarter who tried new products plan to stick with them after the coronavirus crisis (30%-45% for national brands; 25%-30% for private-label brands).
Similarly, 69% of respondents to a survey by Shopkick, a shopping rewards app, reported that they are buying different brands if their preferred brands are not available. In addition, 76% of consumers are adjusting their shopping habits due to concerns about the pandemic, the survey found.
Respondents reported a surge in buying. In the Shopkick poll, 47% of respondents reported stocking up on essential items, with 93% of those including food and water as “essential.” In the AlixPartners poll, 30% to 40% said they were stocking up across all categories. However, consumption was lagging behind, with an increase of only 20% to 30%. This pattern, revealed in a poll that closed at the end of March, may account for how the rate of increase in retail food sales slowed significantly in the first week of April.
It’s unclear how much of a bounce online grocery shopping is getting from the coronavirus. The AlixPartners survey showed that respondents saying they did more online grocery shopping came to 50% of consumers age 18 to 34, 43% of consumers 35 to 54, and 25% of those 55 and up. However, 76% of the Shopify survey respondents said they were not shopping online more frequently.
