Fifty percent of Finnish shoppers prioritise freshness and quality of products in grocery stores over pricing, according to a new study commissioned by K-Citymarket.
The study, Impact of the World Situation on Shopping Behavior in the Grocery Store 2022, was conducted by Kantar TNS Oy in August 2022 with 1,016 respondents over the age of 15.
The study unveiled that 47% of shoppers in Finland paid more attention to the prices of products, while 33% said they made fewer impulse purchases than before.
Twenty-five percent of the respondents stated that the world situation has not influenced their purchase decisions in any of the ways mentioned in the survey.
Ari Akseli, director of grocery division at Kesko, said, "The phenomenon can also be seen in practice in K-grocery stores at the moment, as customers are now, for example, following offers closely. The number of offers, especially in the main raw materials, has already been increased.
"In terms of purchasing behaviour, it's interesting that even though the importance of price among customers is emphasised, the share of households that value quality and buy premium has also remained stable."
Other Findings
The study found that in a tight situation, Finns would be the last to give up fruit and vegetables (46%), travelling by car (38%), and include domestic food products in their diet (36%).
"We were particularly pleased with the results of consumers' desire to hold on to Finnishness. Increasing the demand for Finnish food is one key factor when talking about how to secure the future of domestic food production. Almost 80% of the food sold in K-grocery stores is Finnish, and it's easy to make Finnish choices in our stores," Akseli added.
The survey showed that keeping the price level competitive rose to the second highest rating after freshness and quality.
Ari Sääksmäki, director of the K-Citymarket chain, commented, "The same consumer can emphasise quality in one product and price in another. For example, you can choose a very high-quality option for pasta and an inexpensive tomato sauce on the side, or during the same visit to the store, customers can also purchase a special salmon to freeze, but have sushi prepared in the store for dinner the same day."
© 2022 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Dayeeta Das. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
