Esselunga has topped an Italian consumer survey on which supermarket offers the highest level of consumer satisfaction.
In the survey, which was carried out in September by dunnhumby and boasted a sample size of 3,000 consumers, the Italian supermarket chain placed first in five out of six factors, followed by Conad, Coop and Eurospin, with participants hailing its price perception, product variety, positioning and range of targeted offers.
Speaking to Italian daily Il Sole 24 Ore, Gianluca Carrera, chief solutions officer at dunnhumby, said that price is the most important lever in Italy, unlike Spain and Portugal where convenience is the top consumer preference.
According to Carrera, the composition of the Italian grocery market is also very different to that of other Western economies – five brands share 52% of the market, while in countries such as Germany, France and the UK, the share occupied by the top grocers is between 75% and 80%.
In terms of consumer habits in a post-COVID environment, Carerra added, "there will be no turning back from e-commerce, or rather from multi-channel shopping and innovation".
E-Commerce Growth
Some 25% of Italians have used digital channels to do their shopping, but this currently represents only 2% of turnover for large-scale retail trade.
Asked whether the Italian government or supermarkets did a 'better job' during the pandemic, participants were unanimous in their support for retailers, which earned plaudits for maintaining a steady supply of essentials even during challenging times.
Also of note was the rapid shift to e-commerce and delivery, and the high security protocols that retailers implemented within their stores.
© 2020 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Branislav Pekic. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine
