September 2018
Featured in this insight: Consumer goods & FMCG , Food & drink, Public health & wellbeing, Retail
Survey reveals the changing consciousness of consumers, with 44% believing they will no longer use supermarket by 2030: A nationwide survey into the future shopping habits of British adults has revealed a shift in the way consumers expect to shop.
The survey of 2041 adults commissioned by ThoughtWorks (conducted by YouGov) shows respondents are displaying increasing consideration for the environment, their health, reducing waste and even the effect consumer choices have on local businesses. ThoughtWorks asked respondents to consider which issues would determine the way they bought food by the year 2030.
And the results….
When considering the current drive against packaging, it is perhaps unsurprising that the top issue was recycling, with 68% saying it would be more important than anything else when it comes to food shopping.
Also high on the list (in third position) was 'waste', with just under half (48 percent) revealing they believe it will be a top priority in 2030.
The origin of food and how far it has to travel to get to our tables and supermarkets was also a top priority, with 36 percent saying there would be a greater emphasis on buying local in order to support community businesses. Just under a third (32 percent) said they expect people to require more information ahead of buying goods to verify they had been ethically, and sustainably sourced.
Nutritional value
How good for us a food source is will also shape our future purchasing choices, with 38% saying that nutritional value will influence what they put on their shopping list. Thirty-percent believe in the future there will be more importance placed on the value of food from a health and well-being perspective.
The research also suggests that in 2030, supermarkets may cease to exist in their current form, with 44 percent of consumers believing they will no longer use one.
However, despite the many considerations for consumers in the future, 57 percent said that the cost of a product will be the most important. when they go shopping.
Factors that adults believe will most important in their food-buying decisions in 2030
- Reducing packaging and using more recyclable materials - 62%
- The price of food - 57%
- Food waste (i.e. the amount of food that gets thrown away) - 48%
- Tackling obesity - 41%
- Where food comes from (e.g. where it is grown, fished, reared etc.) - 36%
- A greater focus on fresh food - 36%
- Supporting local farmers/ producers - 34%
- That the food is ethically sourced/ has an ethical supply chain - 32%
- Scarcity of certain foods - 32%
- The convenience - 31%
- Greater interest in food as an intrinsic part of health and wellbeing - 30%
- The amount of energy used in food production - 24%
- Shopping for meals not just ingredients - 15%
- People not eating meat - 14%
- People no longer having a family meal together - 14%
