Report: Grocery Shoppers Look for Organic Products, Coupons, Delivery, and Unique Shopping Experiences

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Valassis in Livonia, a company that works in intelligent media delivery, Monday reported organic selection, coupons, and delivery options are making big differences in the way people grocery shop.

About 33 percent of consumers make an effort to buy only or mostly organic and natural products, despite higher prices. This was especially true among parents (48 percent) and millennials (50 percent). Also, 10 percent of parents and 14 percent of millennial parents have meal kits delivered to their homes once a week because of busy schedules.

Other parts of the report show the importance of coupons to customers. When planning grocery trips, 81 percent of consumers search for coupons online. This number increases among parents (91 percent), and millennials (88 percent). About 87 percent find coupons in print sources, while 73 percent download paperless discounts.

Unique shopping experiences are also important – 36 percent of shoppers seek stores that provide special experiences. This again increases with parents to 56 percent and millennials to 55 percent. About 55 percent of shoppers try to shop local.

Online shopping is still a growing demand, with 14 percent of parents and 15 percent of millennial parents ordering groceries once a week. About 17 percent of parents and 20 percent of millennial parents order groceries online once a week and pick them up in-store.

Retailers and e-commerce brands continue to evolve to fit their customers’ needs, highlighting the importance of understanding shopping habits and online channels. For example, Walmart expanded its grocery delivery service to reach 40 percent of U.S. households.

“Our Coupon Intelligence Report data reinforces that the path to purchase for grocery items is no longer a static and ritual journey. From home-delivery services to the growing presence of organic items, emerging channels and trends are changing the way shoppers buy, and in turn, how brands reach and activate their target audiences,” says Curtis Tingle, chief marketing officer of Valassis. “Consumers are increasingly looking for convenience and unique shopping experiences, as well as deals and coupons. Brands and retailers that offer these dimensions of value on a consistent basis across a multitude of channels will ultimately see the greatest ROI.”

The study was fielded in the third quarter of 2017 in conjunction with a global, third-party market research firm. The sample was derived from an online consumer opinion panel, and all participants were at least 18 years old and living in the contiguous United States. The survey was closed once 1,000 completed responses were received. The responses were weighted by factors obtained from national census data to provide appropriate representations of demographic groups at summary levels.