After previous decreases there has been no change this year from 2018 in the proportion of adults who claim to purchase from a deli counter at least once a week, with incidence levels maintaining at 35%.
These are some of the findings from recent research amongst a nationally representative sample of 1,002 adults aged 18+, conducted on behalf of Retail Intelligence by Empathy Research.
The purpose of the research was to understand the purchasing behaviour of consumers at the deli counter and to identify what is driving this behaviour.
Males are significantly more likely than females to be purchasing from deli counters, with 42% of males claiming to do so, compared to 28% of females. Those aged 25-34 (49%) are most likely to purchase from deli counters at least weekly, increasing from 2018 levels (45%), with those aged 18-24 also more likely to use deli counters at least weekly.
Just over a third of adults who use deli counters (34%) claim that they are purchasing from the deli counter less frequently than they were this time six months ago, in line with levels recorded in 2018.
Most Likely Customers
While the 25-34 age group are the most likely to use the deli counter at least weekly, they are also more likely to have reduced their frequency of usage in the past 6 months, indicating that the deli counter is playing a crucial role for some but less of a role for others in this age group.
The desire to eat healthier is a key driver in the drop-off in purchase from deli counters, with a significant increase in the proportion who have reduced their past six-month purchase claiming they are trying to eat healthier nowadays (54% from 45%), with 21% feeling the food in deli counters is over-processed and not good for you (unchanged year-on-year).
Almost 6 in 10 (59%) of those who have reduced their purchase levels at deli counters are preparing more of their food at home (up from 53% in 2018), thus eliminating the need to purchase as much food “on-the-go”.
For further information and more in-depth analysis on the usage and attitudes of shoppers towards deli counters, please contact Robbie Clarke at Empathy Research.
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