Target the typical weekly shopper ‘missions’ to succeed

Rapid delivery firm Getir recently confirmed it will pull the plug on its remaining European operations, which includes the UK.

This decision could be down to a number of reasons, such as the shift in shopping behaviours post-pandemic and the cost of living crisis. It’s also a relatively niche proposition. Apps like Getir solve a key shopper need – getting your groceries quickly – but it’s just one of many shopper occasions.

At NIQ we have monitored the increasingly different shopping missions consumers go through in any given week. Today, a typical week involves five fmcg-related trips or ‘missions’.

Such missions include: treat for today (a small and quick purchase geared towards indulgence); non-food refill (a restock of something non-food related); larder stock (big monthly stock-up); dinner for tonight (a quick and small purchase that tends to be focused on fresh food); targeted non-food (small purchases on non-food items); and the trolley shop (big fortnightly stock-up) or weekly refresh.

The trend is increasingly towards smaller and more purposeful missions. For example, one in three missions is a ‘treat for today’, which is growing at 4.7%. Meanwhile, shopping for ‘dinner for tonight’ has grown twice as fast as the average mission – boosted by consumers cutting back on eating out and takeaways. In terms of the bigger shop, the stereotypical weekly shop now only takes place once a fortnight.

The goal for brands and retailers therefore is to ensure they are as relevant to as many shopper missions as possible to maximise growth potential.

This can be a challenge for some channels. Half of online fmcg shops are for bigger missions with spend upwards of £50, according to NIQ Homescan data, which is limiting growth in smaller occasions. The traditional big four supermarkets are also facing a challenge of shoppers steering away from large baskets and shopping around more.

Meanwhile, the discounters tend to be winning in each shopping mission. M&S is also excelling in meeting different shopper needs, but it is focusing on its strengths, with growth primarily across ‘dinner for tonight’ and ‘treat for today’ missions.

There are opportunities for brands and retailers to tap into these different shopper missions. It’s about ensuring you have a product portfolio that leans into the right mission, for the right customer, in the right store format.

This can be as simple as reviewing pack architecture – checking if a pack, size and price point fits different shopping missions – or ensuring different missions are being considered in the product design stages. Finally, the focus should be on securing a good mix of channels so you are reaching customers across shopping missions.

Retailers can encourage and guide shoppers along these different journeys online and in-store through various cues and prompts such as dedicated meal solution bays/shelves, recipe ideas, and dine-in promotions. Getting into the mindset of shoppers, and tailoring products and offerings to today’s different shopping missions, will be key to maximising growth potential.