New research by the University of South Australia shows mums and dads speed up their shopping, spending up to 10 minutes less in supermarkets than their childless counterparts. What do supermarket brands need to do to be noticed by busy parents?
Navigating supermarket aisles can be a pain point for many parents, with the study of 1611 shoppers published in the Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services revealing;
- Parents shop faster; research indicates when accompanied by a child, parents will shop on average 15% faster than without. Even if the children are not physically present at the supermarket parents are still quicker on trips than childless shoppers.
- Parents will avoid certain areas of the supermarket when possible such as the busy fresh produce section and express checkouts when shopping with children.
- Parents would like to see improvements to the shopping experience in the form of rest areas to help deal with misbehaving children, wider and less crowded aisles, free fruit for kids to snack on, and more room when using the self-serve checkout station.
Supermarkets themselves can also help parents have a more enjoyable time, and importantly stay longer in store by improving the store layout offering a more family friendly space. Having an efficient and speedy shopping experience is important to parents as they value convenience and have limited time to complete shopping, particularly when leaving their children at home or with a sitter.
What does this research reveal to brands stocked on supermarket shelves?
“Our most recent ‘Billion Dollar Mum’ market research with 2000 Aussie Mums, validates that over 80% of mums are largely responsible for supermarket shopping for their household. We know mums are time poor and are always multi-tasking – even while they are in store, so brands have to work harder to connect with her and encourage her to select their product over their competitors,” explains Kids Business Communications Managing Director.
“If brands want to stand out on shelves, they need to be building up their brand profile, mum-to-mum endorsements, word of mouth and trial campaigns, so that even before mums walk into store they have made up their mind on the brand they will be buying. However, there is still a 20% chance they will be selecting their competitors in store if motivated by: price discount, brand visibility, pester power, clear packaging descriptions and on trend branding. This serves as a growth opportunity for other brands addressing these elements well.”
Simple tips for FMCG brands:
- Building brand awareness is important – When parents are busy they will select the brand they know of, over the brands they don’t
- Clear packaging – Parents have limited time to read all the information on the label, so make sure key, relevant selling points stand out
“Kids Business Communications delivers custom and full service Quantitative and Qualitative Market Research for your brand. Measure market awareness, competitor analysis, brand perception and why mums are – or aren’t buying your product. Learn more here.”
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