Body wash, while still being the most frequently purchased personal care item amongst adults, has seen a reduction in the proportion claiming to purchase once a month or more often (62% from 68%), with just under 3 in 10 (28%) buying once every 2-3 weeks, down from 32% last year.
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 body wash, with just over 8 in 10 (82%) purchasing through this channel, largely unchanged year-on-year (81% in 2017). This purchase incidence is primarily driven by purchases in Tesco (39%) and Dunnes Stores (27%).
Outside of grocery retailers, Boots is the most likely purchase destination, although the purchase incidence has dropped marginally year-on-year (22% from 25%).
There has been no change evident in terms of purchase behaviour amongst those who buy body wash from supermarkets, with just 7% of those who have purchased from a supermarket claiming to be purchasing more body wash here 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 has increased significantly as a reason year-on-year (61% from 44%). Further to this convenience, supermarkets are deemed to be cheaper than other stores (32%) and having a better range of products available (30%).
In terms of overall importance when purchasing body wash, there two main aspects which are deemed of primary importance to buyers. The quality of the product is deemed important for almost 6 in 10 (58%), although there is a slightly higher proportion who claim that special offers are important (60%).
However, there appears to be quite limited brand loyalty in this category, with just a quarter (25%) claiming to be loyal to the brand they buy most often, in line with the levels recorded in 2017 (25%).
For further information and more in-depth analysis on consumer behaviour when it comes to purchasing body wash and other personal care products, please contact Robbie Clarke at Empathy Research.
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