COVID lockdown sees rise of younger consumers shopping at butcher shops

The survey of 2,000 shoppers, found specialist food stores, such as butchers, fishmongers and grocers, have been most popular with younger shoppers (18-24 year-olds), as older age groups (65+) relied more on online services.

'Life Under Lockdown'

The report in the Shoppers of Our Time series, ‘Life Under Lockdown’, suggests a shift in how different age groups have used different store types over recent months.

“Shopper behaviour has changed to an extent rarely ever seen," said Dan Gillet, shopper insight manager, IGD. ​

"Some of these changes will present a unique opportunity for retailers across the board to retain shoppers they traditionally wouldn’t have – such as specialist stores, to keep younger shoppers visiting, and general or online retailers to retain the older shopper base they have attracted during this time.​

“Our Shoppers of Our Time series has already shown us some great insight which we are sharing with industry, and over the next two years we will also be delving into an array of subjects such as changes to shopping basics, the return of out-of-home consumption, redefining social consciousness and lifestyle changes that COVID-19 has brought about.​

“Understanding the changes to shopping habits and behaviours during lockdown will give an idea of what the future might look like for those businesses trying to lock in their long-term plans​.”

Shoppers over 55, who were the most frequent users of specialist stores pre-lockdown, have decreased their usage in the last few months from over a third (32%) to a quarter (25%), likely driven by social distancing concerns.

In contrast, younger shoppers have increased their use of specialist stores. One-quarter (23%) of 18-24-year olds claim to have visited stores such as butchers, fishmongers and greengrocers in 2020, up from 20% in 2019.

And, with 78% of all age groups visiting specialist stores more frequently saying they will continue to do so in future, this shift could indicate a longer-term change.

Drop in usage 

All channels, except for online, have seen an overall drop in usage as shoppers restricted their shopping trips in line with social distancing rules.

More than one in 10 shoppers (13%) claim to have shopped online for the first time during lockdown – older shoppers in particular have driven usage of the channel, with 42% of over-65s opting for online.

The recent reliance on online channels has been significant, with more than half (55%) of those using online more saying that without this service, they could not have got enough food and groceries during lockdown. Nearly two thirds of over 65s said the same.

Discount stores, however, have seen a larger drop in usage than other formats, with 50% of shoppers claiming to have used a food discounter in May vs. 65% in February.

According to those surveyed, there are two main causes of this: the inability to get everything needed in one shop and difficulty in social distancing, due to discounter store formats.

Frequency of shopping has also experienced a drastic change. Prior to lockdown, nearly three-quarters (73%) of the 30 households surveyed shopped more than once a week, while during lockdown this reduced to just two fifths (42%).

The reduction in frequency was an active decision, with shoppers trying to follow social distancing rules – and trying to protect themselves and their families.