May 25th, 2011

Saving money a greater focus for shoppers

UK shoppers have become increasingly focused on saving money and this greater attention to finding the lowest prices for particular items was already happening before the start of the recession, no doubt partly influenced by increased online browsing of goods before buying and price comparison sites.

The proportion of people claiming to look for the lowest possible prices when going shopping has increased significantly from 37% in 2006 to 45% in 2010. For cleaning products, the proportion of adults considering low prices when buying was up from 32% in 2006 to 41% in 2010.

A key element of shoppers’ desire to save money and make their household budgets go further is attention to special offers, with 68% always looking out for special offers compared with 59% back in 2006. Money-off coupons and vouchers are also being used more than five years ago.

Figure 1: Agreement with statements on influence of price and promotions, 2006-10

For more information please see Mintel’s Report Cleaning the House.