Supermarket Sleuths: The grocery shopping habit most Aussies have stopped doing

Aussie shoppers are foregoing large weekly grocery shops in favour of smaller, more frequent ones, according to new supermarket data.

Dr Jessica Pallant, lecturer in Marketing in RMIT's School of Economics, Finance and Marketing, tells nine.com.au a reason for this changing trend could be that larger weekly shops "may not be as affordable for some consumers, but they could equally be looking for value in alternate shopping options".

Financial comparison website Finder found the average weekly grocery bill in Australia is $209, an increase of $19 since August last year.

That is in addition to previous years' increases.

And these consistent grocery price increases are stressing us out, with 39 per cent of Aussies telling Finder grocery shopping is causing them financial stress, up from 29 per cent three years ago.

Gavin Northey, Associate Professor at the Department of Marketing at Griffith University says Aussie shoppers are still doing a "first shop" at Coles or Woolies.

Then, with that first shop out of the way, we do top-up shops.

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These happen at different retailers, as savvy shoppers take advantage of all the supermarket specials. Data from Fresh Logic shows Aussie shoppers are increasingly searching for value, and we've become very good at it!

This shift in supermarket shopper behaviour can also be explained by recent changes and innovations in the grocery space.

The first and most important change has been longer supermarket opening hours. Most major supermarkets are now open seven days a week for most of the day.

This means Aussie shoppers no longer have to stock up during their main shops during limited opening hours. We can do our grocery shopping at 10pm if we like, and this can be a main shop or a top up shop on the way home.

That main shop is more likely to include bulk and multiple purchases of items households rely on – 52.59 per cent of Aussies are now bulk buyers, using the strategy to save money, which can offset the expense of smaller, more frequent top-up shops.

Then there are all the technological changes we have seen over the years, meaning consumers can see exactly where they can find the best deals and organise their multiple trips to supermarkets based on this information.

Also, ordering groceries via food delivery apps and through supermarket delivery services are no longer shrouded in the same shame as during pre-COVID times.

Aussie shoppers think nothing of placing grocery orders for convenience, with the understanding these they will likely be paying a premium for them.

While the majority of supermarket shoppers still prefer to do that one main shop and top-ups in stores, plenty are taking advantage of pick up and delivery options, with two-hour and under windows increasing in popularity.

Lastly, social media and food influencers have proven effective in enticing shoppers to try out different foods and dishes, which often necessitates a quick trip to the shops to stock up on whichever ingredients are needed.

Just watched a video about blueberries? A quick trip to the supermarket means that craving can be satisfied. Convinced you life will be change by a spring vegetable salad? Off you can go for sweet potatoes and zucchinis and whatever else that influencer has mentioned.

The overall result is that grocery shopping blends more seamlessly into our lifestyles. It is no longer a massive, hectic, weekly or bi-weekly chore to get done.

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I remember a time before the internet even existed when it was exactly this.

I always tried to make it fun for myself, with a cafe visit beforehand, but it was much more about stocking up for the week or fortnight ahead during the limited opening hours at my local supermarket, trying to make ends meet – but only with what was in that store, because I was too tired and my toddler was too bored to make visiting multiple stores a viable option.

These days, visiting multiple stores or "cross shopping" is widespread and more easily planned thanks to the information that is readily available on supermarket apps and websites.

Pallant says: "Also, given the cycle of specials in the major supermarkets, multiple trips allow shoppers to catch different specials and maximise savings across their total grocery spend rather than being locked into whatever is on special during one weekly shop."

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