Research: The New Path to Purchase

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September 21, 2010

Consumers’ penchant for cross-channel shopping and deal hunting is nothing new, but these days shoppers are consolidating the number of channels in which they shop, according to SymphonyIRI Group's September Times & Trends Report.

After escalating at the peak of the recession, trip behavior has slowed and the size of average shopping baskets has slipped, according to the report titled, “The New Path to Purchase: An Escalation of Channel & Consumption Migration.

“Prior to the recession, shoppers as a whole were gradually increasing the number of stores at which they shopped, which reflected their personal financial health and confidence in the economy,” said John McIndoe. SymphonyIRI Group’s senior vice president of marketing.

After the recession hit, shoppers reduced the number of channels in which the shopped, they shifted to store brands and shopped more often at lower-cost retail outlets.

“Though shoppers continue to visit multiple retail channels to complete their CPG shopping endeavors, they are continuing to consolidate the number of channels at which they shop,” McIndoe said. “ Since the second quarter of 2009, shoppers have consistently cut the number of channels they visit in every quarter except one. The slide is evidenced in the number of shoppers visiting 5-9 channels, which has dropped consistently since Q2 2009.”

Other key insights form the report:

• Channel behavior varies across CPG departments; the dollar channel is the only channel that posted share gains across departments during the past year.
• The drug and super center channels are performing well in health and beauty care, while grocers have demonstrated strength across several key meal-related categories and in general merchandise.
• Drug, club and dollar retailers continue to see share growth across their heaviest shoppers, while super centers lost considerable share among this important consumer segment.

Click here for your free copy of this month’s Trends and Times report from SymphonyIRI Group.

Read These Related Articles:

• Research: Household Products Brands Under Attack as Consumers Still Fixate on Price
• Retailers: Focus on Packaging and In-Store Marketing to Drive Shopper Growth
• IRI Data: Store Brands Innovation Pays Off
• The Soft Economy Has Not Dampened Demand for Premium Brands
• Deloitte Research: Store Brands Are Here to Stay

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