New research launched by retail and shopper marketing agency Savvy, has revealed a gap between shoppers’ positive attitudes towards British food and drink and what they actively look for when making purchasing decisions.
British provenance is important to UK grocery shoppers, but brands and retailers may be missing opportunities to turn that positive sentiment into sales, according to the latest Savvy Shopper Panel research.
The online survey of 1,002 UK shoppers found that 83% say Britishness matters to them to at least some extent when buying food and drink. However, just 34% actively look for products labelled as British when shopping.
The findings suggest a potentially important attitude-action gap. While shoppers value Britishness, for many it may not be sufficiently visible or compelling at the point of purchase to drive conversion.
The research also implies that shoppers have different interpretations of what makes a product British. Just over a third (34%) say it is important that food and drink is both produced and made in Britain, while 16% prioritise products being made in Britain regardless of where the ingredients come from. A further 7% place the emphasis on British ingredients, regardless of where the final product is made.
Britishness also depends on what is in the shopping basket. For 26% of shoppers, its importance varies by product. Just 11% say Britishness is generally not important to them.
‘Britishness’ carries very different weight across the grocery store
Fresh categories stand out. 86% of shoppers say it is important that fresh dairy products such as milk, cheese and yoghurt are British, closely followed by fresh meat and poultry at 85%. Britishness is also important for bread and other baked products (83%) and fresh fruit and vegetables (81%).
Its importance falls outside fresh food, though it remains relevant to a majority of shoppers across several categories. Around seven in 10 say Britishness matters for biscuits, cakes and snacks (69%) and frozen food (68%), while 65% say the same for tinned and packaged food. For soft drinks, the figure falls to 56%. Fewer than half of shoppers say it is important that beer is British (46%), falling to 40% for spirits.
Alastair Lockhart, insight director at Savvy Marketing, comments: “There is a clear opportunity for British brands and producers to make provenance work harder at the shelf. Shoppers already have positive attitudes towards British food and drink, but a much lower proportion are actively seeking it out.
“Clearer labelling is part of the solution, but just adding a Union Jack won’t always be enough. Brands need to give shoppers a reason to care – whether that’s ingredient provenance, quality, supporting British producers or standards such as animal welfare.
“Of course, price is an important part of the equation. A quarter of shoppers say they choose British products even if they cost slightly more, suggesting there is some willingness to pay a premium.”
When shoppers do investigate provenance, they look beyond British labelling. More than a quarter check where ingredients come from (27%) and 26% check where products are manufactured or packaged. 30% say they prefer to buy products local to their area.
