Our recent Bauer Insiders report offers a deep dive into how people are shopping for groceries, what they are buying, their attitudes towards food and the ways in which media can influence each of these.

HEALTH AND SHOPPING

When looking at health and shopping, 49% say they eat food to make themselves feel better/healthier, but at the same time 37% find it hard to have a healthy, balanced diet. 70% say clear food labelling is more important than ever (+6% since 2022) and 63% would consider sugar free options when buying.
We know consumers associate good times with indulgent food, with 62% spoiling themselves during holidays like Christmas and Easter, 46% while socializing and 43% during birthday celebrations. But people also turn to food for comfort during less positive times, with 27% citing a change in stress levels as a trigger, 19% when working longer hours and 18% when receiving bad news.

OPPORTUNITIES TO GAIN ATTENTION & DRIVE AWARENESS

Our research has also found that many consumers are actively moving between brands in their consideration set, with 78% more likely to be switching brands they usually buy, due to the cost of living crisis. This trend continues with 68% claiming they will switch from their usual brand if another is on offer. 42% will also switch if intrigued by a new brand, meaning that there are many opportunities to drive consideration & brand switching.

Advertising is shown to play a key role in influencing top of the funnel behaviour, with 47% liking to try brands they have recently seen or heard advertised, and over 1/3 trusting the claims in food and drink advertising on the radio.

RADIO: RIGHT TIME, RIGHT PLACE

Brand consideration and switching is especially accessible through radio advertising. 67% of people listen to the radio whilst driving to the shop and 1 in 10 tune in as they plan their shop, creating opportunities for brands to be front of mind in the right place, at the right time.
When building pre-shopping awareness through advertising, consumers mainly want to hear about special offers (47%) within supermarket advertising, which tracks with 84% of those surveyed saying value for money is more important than ever. Audiences (34%) want to hear about specific special offers (e.g. bank holidays and celebrations) with 17% wanting to hear recipe ideas.