ARLINGTON, Va. -- Many supermarket chains continue to run cents-off gasoline promotions with grocery purchases. This may help their value image, but most grocery consumers do not believe that the presence of gasoline discounts is a major factor in where they buy most of their food, according to the 2015 Annual National Grocers Association (NGA)-SupermarketGuru Consumer Survey.
Just 4.4% of supermarket customers responding to the survey say gasoline discounts are "very important" to their choice of a primary supermarket, 12.2% say they are "somewhat important," 24.4% say they are "not too important" and 59.1% say gasoline discounts are "not at all important."
Meanwhile, nearly 60% of consumers say finding a deal is important when they are food shopping, the survey said.
It reveals a bounce of nearly 10 percentage points for "deals." Six-in-10 consumers call finding deals "very" important. This measure was 50.4% in 2014 and 49.1% in 2013. This increase equals the 2010 recession peak of 60%.
Phil Lempert, CEO of SupermarketGuru.com and The Lempert Report, said, "[Supermarket] retailers need to maximize the impact of trade promotions and communication to consumers to differentiate their store as price friendly. Technology is available to reach target audiences and to communicate opportunities that matter to the shopper."
According to the survey, consumers are taking notice of this type of outreach. Nearly 41% of consumers grade supermarkets "excellent" on this measure, a near four-point advance that reflects improved technology, better planning and a more polished communications approach.
The survey also shows that supermarket employees are improving their customer relations. More than half of consumers (52%) rate their preferred supermarket "excellent" on courteous, friendly employees. This is up nearly four points from last year. Another pivotal measure since shoppers prefer to spend money in stores where workers are nice to them. And 96% say this is "very/somewhat" important to their choice of a primary supermarket.
"It's clear that customer service remains an important experience for today's consumers, giving independent supermarkets another opportunity to differentiate themselves from their competition," said Peter J. Larkin, president and CEO of NGA.
"Stores also need to stay updated with technology for both the benefits and the issues," said Lempert. "Stores need to remain updated on data security to prevent breaches and lost, privacy, and also offer online orders with both pick-up and delivery options."
The survey also reveals that consumers wouldn't be too phased if there was a security breach at their retailer, however, more shoppers would likely switch stores upon a second incident.
For instance, data breaches became front-page news when high-profile merchants fell victim to hacker encroachment. Fortunately for supermarkets that might suffer a first incident, consumers would be forgiving: just 4.7% say they would "definitely" switch stores, one in 10 would "probably" switch stores and six in 10 (58.8%) say it "depends on the circumstance--a retailer deserves more than one chance." For the remaining quarter of consumers, a first breach would barely cause a blip: 16.9% would "probably still shop there" and 8.4% would definitely still shop there.
However, more shoppers would be in play and open to switch stores upon a second incident: 15.6% would "definitely" shop elsewhere, and 27.9% would "probably seek another store." The proportion of consumers that still feel it "depends on the circumstances" would drop to just 37.0%. For the rest, 7.5% would "probably" still shop at the same store, another 14.5% "would shop there, but pay cash," and only 3.0% would definitely stay on as a customer.
Nearly 1,000 shoppers completed surveys that detailed their experiences, behaviors and sentiments on what appeals to them (or does not) about supermarkets, as well as their purchase influences, eating habits and nutritional concerns. This year's survey addressed 129 shopping attributes. Nearly three quarters of the respondents were female.
Click here to view the full 2015 Annual National Grocers Association-SupermarketGuru Consumer Survey.
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