Shoppers in the UK will spend around £21.6 billion (€24.2 billion) on food and groceries in the festive period this year, IGD has predicted.
The research and training body has also estimated a 2.4% growth in the grocery sector in the UK during this period.
Around 71% of shoppers said that they perceived the festive season as an opportunity to treat themselves and their families.
On an average, UK shoppers will spend around £90 on their main Christmas day meal, with 32% planning to spend more than £100. Just eight percent of shoppers intend to spend less than £25.
Tradition Vs Trends
Some 48% of respondents opined that food and drinks were a key part of Christmas celebrations, with 63% of shoppers claiming that they opt for the same main meals every year.
While many consumers said that they preferred traditional food items for Christmas, the study found some new trends emerging among shoppers.
Around 9% of shoppers said that they will opt for a vegetarian or meat alternative.
Shopper insight manager at IGD, Vanessa Henry, said, “Although some families have unique food traditions that they stick to every year with certain foods, Christmas can also be a time to experiment with new and different products.”
Young shoppers between the age group of 18 - 34 said that they will experiment with vegan and vegetarian recipes this year, with 20% opting for vegan dishes, and 25% for vegetarian recipes on Christmas day.
“Growing media and social media coverage, coupled with greater investment by both retailers and suppliers in these products, means more shoppers are considering these meat-free alternatives this year," Henry added.
Other Factors
Christmas advertisements influenced 35% of shoppers to buy certain food and grocery items this year, compared with 29% in 2016, the study found.
IGD’s director of insight, Simon Wainwright commented, “For retailers, effective advertising drives footfall, but for suppliers, the challenge is turning shopper consideration into purchasing.
“Shoppers may be interested in purchasing a product after seeing it advertised, but if it isn’t visible in-store then they are likely to either forget about it or choose to purchase something else.”
Seven percent of the respondents said that they are planning to use Alexa or Google Home to help them prepare their Christmas meals.
© 2018 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Dayeeta Das. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
