Insight: the rise of ‘basketeers’ who shop locally
New research has found that convenience sector growth is being supported by a new generation of so called “basketeers” who are doing most of their shopping in convenience stores as they look to save time.
The study by IGD, which was commissioned by convenience retailer McColl’s, highlights how the trend is helping local convenience stores take on other grocery channels including supermarkets.
IGD found that customers shopping for dinner at their neighbourhood store saved 21 minutes compared to the average of all grocery channels including supermarkets, discounters and online.
With the data amassed from more than 1,800 shopping trips, it reveals that UK consumers spend 16.7 hours shopping for groceries each month with 9.8 hours of that time spent on travelling to stores and 6.9 hours spent shopping in-store.
The study also found that on average people can almost halve the amount of time it takes to shop for an evening meal, with the average shop taking 25 minutes in a convenience store versus an average of 46 minutes (including travel time) across all grocery channels.
Jonathan Miller, chief executive of McColl’s, said: “As convenience stores have upped their game when it comes to product quality and customer experience, shoppers have turned to them to avoid long travel times and queues in store. This research proves what customers have known for a while now, that neighbourhood shopping can save them valuable time, especially the “basketeers” who are fuelling further growth in convenience.”
Recent IGD Shopper Vista research shows that the growth in convenience store shopping is being led by post-millennials with 54% of this group saying they go to their nearest store even if it is more expensive. The value placed on time meant that one in five post-millennials said they now do the majority of their food and grocery shopping at their local store compared to 7% of those aged 26 and over.
The latest research from IGD also found that 91% of those surveyed got everything they needed during their last trip to a convenience store, compared to 87% at supermarkets.
James Walton, chief economist at IGD, said: “Convenience is a large and growing market, with store sales totalling £37.5 billion last year. Our research underlines the fact that convenience ranges have changed rapidly in recent years and the sector can now meet more shopper needs than ever before. As our lifestyles change, we see that customers place an increasing importance on the value of time, and convenience retailers undeniably have a key role to play in this area.”
