LIQUOR EDITION
This week we’re thrilled to announce our ninth edition of ShopperPANEL Retail Report is available to share! In this report we reflect on the challenging year that was 2023 and its effect on consumer behaviour in Australia and delve specifically into the Australian Liquor market.
The focus is on alcohol consumption trends and the factors that influence purchasing decisions among Australians aged 18 and above. To delve deeper into this topic, our latest edition of ShopperPANEL has examined data from 1,350 Australians aged 18 and above to ascertain what their current habits are when it comes to consuming alcohol, and what’s changed over the past 12 months.
Our findings cover four key themes – Frequency, Category Change, Retailer Loyalty and Decision Making.
Here’s a few interesting findings regarding Frequency:
- Cost of living has affected the frequency of alcohol purchases.
- Close to 9 in 10 respondents have reduce their frequency of purchases.
- With close to 1 in 2 of all Gen Z respondents only purchasing alcohol for special occasions.
The ‘So What’? – This means that on shelf availability and shopability for consumers has never been more important in store.
The next theme we’ll take a closer look at is Category Change.
According to our survey results, wine was purchased more frequently (52%) than beer (41%) across the 1,350 respondents.
The interesting statistic was the number one category of purchases was spirits at 55%, where consumption is shown to be lower, but purchases are up to 14% above that of beer.
This is also supported by the fact that 68% of all respondents also stated that they typically purchase alcohol for special occasions, with 63% also stating that they purchase for social gatherings. This is compared to everyday consumption at only 29%.
The ‘So What’? – Maximising on shelf availability, shopability for consumers and visibility during key training periods has never been more important in store.
Although price will always drive certain behaviours of consumers, when it comes to purchasing alcohol the location of the store ranks a clear second when it comes to choosing a liquor retailer.
Location and convenience (63%) ranks a long way in front of customer service (15%) and brand loyalty (11%), and is driven even higher amongst 18–34-year-olds (up to 72%)
It was interesting to find that retailer loyalty was high, and therefore familiarity with store layout comes into play. The consumer is not necessarily looking for staff opinions, but they are also not always ‘planned’ when entering the store – therefore a big play when it comes to POS, product information or promotions.
The ‘So What’? – Having the ability to visit the right stores at the right time with a flexible visit cycle is key to maximising sales instore.
The last theme in our report is Decision Making, and we look specifically at respondents who answered that they had purchased spirits in the last 12 months, which was a total of 974 respondents from our sample group of 1,350.
When we looked at Knowledge of Spirits, close to 1 in 2 respondents are not knowledgeable on the range of spirits available and the individual characteristics of each spirit.
Although 91% of all respondents who had purchased spirits in the last 6 months were open to trying new or exotic spirits from different regions or cultures in the future.
The ‘So What’? – Tactical sampling & educational campaigns are the ideal way to maximise the opportunity for this audience. With 1 in 2 respondents stating they are not knowledgeable on the range available; this is the perfect opportunity to showcase your brand.
If you’d like to read the full ShopperPANEL report Liquor Edition or are looking for support instore for your brands, please click on the link below and we’ll send you a copy!