News

Study: How grocery shoppers use digital media

April 11, 2012

More than 23,000 shoppers participated in a survey that has generated insights about how best to market to customers in today's increasingly multi-channel environment. The study, Connecting with Modern Grocery Shoppers, developed by Brick Meets Click (BMC) in partnership with Grocery Shopping Network (GSN), will be released April 19.

"This study draws the most complete picture to date of how grocery shoppers are blending old and new media to make food purchasing decisions," Bill Bishop, chief architect of Brick Meets Click, said in a company press release. "It will help food retailers and their suppliers more effectively manage the transition to a mix of print and digital communications."

The data will help grocers develop a better understanding of how digital trends are impacting shopper behavior, what shoppers find valuable on websites, what digital resources engaged shoppers use for information, and which digital communication platforms are effectively engaging shoppers of different ages. The study found that:

• 80 percent of shoppers still find the printed circular helpful, but the Web is not far behind. Almost 70 percent report they find online ads helpful.
• Price isn't the sole driver of trips to retailer websites. Shoppers find non-price value in scanning recipes (71 percent) and building online shopping lists (58 percent).
• Digitally engaged shoppers show a lot of interest in adding grocery shopping apps: 21 percent have and use them, and 40 percent are considering adding them.
• 76 percent of digitally engaged shoppers still write shopping lists by hand.

"The study confirms that today's shopper is combining online planning with in-store visits to make their grocery shopping more informed, cost-effective and enjoyable," Scott Lutz, CEO and president at GSN, said in the release. "It's a candid, independent assessment that will help us better meet shopper needs."

Read more about consumer behavior.