Consumer attitudes to shopping and pricing 2011

Key results are highlighted below:

• Just over seven in ten consumers (71%) said they always or sometimes shop around for better prices. Nearly a fifth (17%) found it difficult to compare prices, particularly for building‑related services, pharmacies and supermarkets.
• For 57% of consumers, price remained the main factor influencing where to shop, down 15 percentage points from June 2010. This change may be linked to seasonal and weather conditions during late 2010 fieldwork, and the Agency indicated it would continue to monitor this trend.
• Supermarkets (71%) and clothing shops (62%) rated highest for value for money. Insurance, doctors, motor vehicles, banks, financial products, dentists, solicitors and auctioneers rated lowest. Over half of respondents selected “don’t know” for solicitors and auctioneers, likely reflecting infrequent use.
• Over half of consumers (56%) said they are aware of the prices of everyday goods. However, the proportion who felt unaware increased to 26% overall and doubled among main grocery shoppers, rising from 7% to 14%.
• Own‑brand goods accounted for 35% of an average weekly shop, consistent with previous waves. Consumers favoured branded beer, tea or coffee and baby products, while own‑brand was more common for household items such as toilet tissue, cleaning products and milk.

The research was conducted in November and December 2010 using face‑to‑face interviews with a nationally representative sample of 1,000 people aged 15–74.

A key feature of the research is the comparison of results with six previous waves conducted at regular intervals since December 2007.