More than a third of shoppers have admitted they are tempted to try something new by in-store promotions such as “buy one get one free” (BOGOF).
According to consumer research by IGD, 37% of shoppers said in-store promotions, such as “reduced price” and ‘BOGOFs prompted them to buy a new product when they were food shopping, compared to 29% who said advertising on TV or in magazines encouraged them to try something new.
Nearly one-in-four shoppers (23%) said BOGOFs were a major factor in trying a new product, followed by “reduced price” (17%) and “3 for 2″ (15%).
However, views about multi-buys, such as BOGOFs, were mixed.
A quarter (26%) of shoppers wanted to see an end to such offers on fresh food – echoing the call from Hilary Benn, secretary of state for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs,
and almost 30% were concerned about food waste resulting from promotions.
Fourteen per cent of shoppers said they did not approve of multi-buys at all.
Joanne Denney-Finch, chief executive, IGD said: “Shoppers are changing their behaviour by shopping around more, taking more time and looking out for the best deals.
“They are clearly swayed by in-store promotions, but the most effective way to encourage new product trial is to use a combination of advertising, merchandising and promotions.
“Multi-buys remain extremely popular but a growing concern about food waste is influencing shoppers and so retailers are becoming more selective, increasingly targeting these promotions at long-life and non-food items.”
