Bite-Sized Insights: Special Offers Food Shopping

Each week we ask our trusted Insights panel of parents a key question. This week we were interested in finding out what their thoughts are about special offers when food shopping. It turns out parents are opportunist when it comes to deals, they tend not to actively seek them. Take a quick read of this week’s bite-sized insights to find out what else our trusted panel told us:
Would you like business-transforming insights for your brand? Use our tailored panels of engaged parents and our dedicated private platform to gather critical insights to help your decision making and activate customers. Contact us now to find how we can help.
Planning meals and grocery shopping are part of every day family life. Parents from our trusted panel have told us they appreciate information on special offers and things that can help them save money. But are they more receptive to product vouchers or money off grocery total vouchers? If they seek out offers, where do they do so?
Recommended reading: Bite-Sized insights: Online Shopping for Groceries
We asked our Insights panel of parents to answer this quick question:
How important are special offers and deals for you for grocery shopping?
- I deliberately look for the best deals during my shop at my preferred supermarket 45%
- I prefer loyalty rewards / 10 off 40 type vouchers 28%
- I take them when I am offered e.g. 3 for 2 17%
- I use an app or website to check for offers 6%
- I check where deals are going to be and go to that supermarket 4%
Comments from our panel members included:
“A special offer would not make me change where I do my weekly shop however I would often not buy something in my weekly shop that I know is on offer elsewhere.”
“It really depends on what the offers are – I would rarely go for offers on things I wouldn’t normally buy, unless it’s something I usually don’t buy because the normal price is prohibitive. Similarly, I wouldn’t go for BOGOF offers unless it’s something non-perishable that I know we will use.”
“I prefer better deals with lower prices and discount vouchers if you spend over a certain amount each time like Dunnes.”
“Lidl’s new app is absolutely fantastic, the offers are clear to see unlike some major supermarkets who I feel advertise offers but then they are not available when in store or else things are incorrectly priced.”
“I’m a sucker for a special offer if it’s good value for money. I would go to different shops for different offers when doing the weekly shopping.”
“I love money off vouchers where you can buy what you need & see it coming off the total at the checkout.”
“It’s always nice to have a change from where I usually shop so special offers & deals are very welcome.”
Reflections for Supermarkets
- There’s definitely more of a leaning towards money off the total at the end of the shop rather than individual product vouchers. But the new Lidl app shows that testing product offers still has value. Where can you test and learn with consumers?
- Advertising offers that then are not in store ends up with negative feelings from consumers who have made the effort to visit your store. Make sure there’s no time lag between communications of offers and availability.
- Are the multiple purchase, Buy One Get One Free type offers really what parents want? Parents have a seasonal calendar of their own (we’ve seen that in terms of what content they view on Mykidstime). So we all know about Back to School, but are your parent-targeted offers capitalising on other times they buy extra items?
- Make offers prominent as parents are tempted by them when they see them.
Would you like business-transforming insights from parents for your business? Use our tailored panels of engaged parents and our dedicated private platform to gather critical insights to help influence consumers to deliver long term profitability. Contact us now to find how we can help.