Toothpaste is the most frequently purchased personal care item amongst adults, with almost 7 in 10 (69%) claiming to purchase once a month or more often and nearly 3 in 10 (29%) buying once every 2-3 weeks.
This research, conducted on behalf of Retail Intelligence by Empathy Research, amongst a nationally representative sample of 1,058 adults aged 18+, sought to understand purchase behaviour in this category and which aspects are most important to consumers when purchasing.
Supermarkets continue to be the most likely purchase point for those buying toothpaste once a month or more often, with just over 8 in 10 (83%) purchasing through this channel, although there has been a slight drop from 2017 levels (86%).
Outside of grocery retailers, Boots is the most likely purchase destination, with almost 1 in 6 (16%) monthly plus buyers purchasing in Boots (unchanged year-on-year). Some 7% of buyers claim to purchase toothpaste from independent pharmacies, with 4% purchasing their toothpaste in Penneys.
The behaviour of those who purchase their toothpaste from supermarkets is largely unchanged year-on-year, with just 6% claiming to be purchasing toothpaste from supermarkets more often than they were this time last year.
Of those who have increased their purchase in supermarkets, year-on-year, being more convenient to purchase while doing grocery shopping (49%) continues to be the biggest driver in this behaviour (51% in 2017), with toothpaste being cheaper reducing significantly in its impact (down from 48% in 2017 to 32% this year).
Primary Importance
In terms of overall importance when purchasing toothpaste, there continues to be two aspects which are deemed of primary importance to buyers. The quality of the product is deemed important for almost 7 in 10 (69% unchanged year-on-year), with a similar proportion (66%) claiming suitability is important (also unchanged).
Brand loyalty in this category is somewhat limited and appears to be reducing in importance with less than 4 in 10 (37%) claiming to be loyal to the brand they buy most often, down from 41% in 2017.
For further information and more in-depth analysis on consumer behaviour when it comes to purchasing toothpaste and other personal care products, please contact Robbie Clarke at Empathy Research.
