Christmas 2024: UK Shoppers Reveal Their Festive Grocery Plans

Field Agent UK's recent Christmas grocery shopping benchmark study offers invaluable insights into the plans and preferences of 500 UK shoppers. Here's what we think will be the key trends this Christmas :

Shifting Shopping Baskets

UK consumers are adjusting their Christmas grocery lists:

• Basics still popular: Slight increases in Roast Chicken +6% and Turkey +3% purchases, 
• Health Conscious: Significant jumps in Fresh Vegetables +16% and Fruits +16%.
• Growth in Fun Food: Party food +18% and Cakes and Desserts +12% are rising.
• Diverse Drink Choices: Soft drinks lead with a 30% increase, followed by no/low Alcohol options +12%, Wine +7%, and Beer +6% also showing a slight increase 

Spending and Shopping Habits

• A quarter of 25% of Shoppers plan to increase their Christmas grocery budget. 
• Nearly half, 43%, will be more cost-conscious, seeking cheaper goods.
• More Shoppers, 30%, aim to shop more consciously to limit food waste.
• And 28% will prioritize healthier options.
• 17% plan to make more ethical and environmentally friendly purchases.

Understanding Shopper Sentiment This Holiday Season

Where and Why They Shop

Product quality and overall value for money are the key factors influencing store choice. Despite the growth of discounters, major supermarkets remain popular for the main Christmas shop:

1. Tesco is the number one choice followed by Sainsbury's 
2. Tesco is best regarded for Promotional offers and Value for Money, and Sainsbury’s has broad appeal 
3. Sainsbury's, M&S, and Asda follow, valued for product quality.
4. M&S leads on Product Quality, Exciting Christmas products and Party food 
5. Aldi and Lidl strong on the cost of basic products 

Interestingly, the majority of shoppers 81% plan to visit other stores, to support their Main shop, primarily driven by price considerations (Aldi) and specific products (M&S) 

Key Takeaways    

1. Stores must deliver on quality and value proposition (Price and Promotions) 
2. Offer a mix of traditional, healthy, and indulgent options.
3. Recognise Shoppers are trying to save money and minimise waste. 
4. Emphasise promotional offers and loyalty rewards.
5. Make sure you also offer Christmas magic - seasonal specials and show-stoppers.
   

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Dive Deeper into the Data

Want to explore these insights further? 

Contact Robin@FieldAgent.co.uk to access our comprehensive results dashboard so you can drill down into the data and see more detailed product preferences and how each retailer performs 

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