Lockdown brings out ‘homebody’ in shoppers
South Africans have changed not just how they shop but also what they buy as the pandemic has marked a shift to what is being referred to as the “homebody economy”.
At the onset of lockdown level 5, consumers concerned about food security bought mostly non-perishable food with a long shelf life, says Saint-Francis Tohlang, corporate communications and public affairs director for Nestlé East and Southern Africa Region. But as lockdown was extended and became the new normal, luxuries such as desserts, confectionery, treats and processed food were purchased.
Bestsellers during hard lockdown were coffee, followed by culinary dairy products such as condensed milk, evaporated milk and cream — used for cooking and baking — and though restrictions have eased, demand remains high for these categories.
Craig Henry, head of sales development for Woolworths Foods, says hot beverages and categories that support cooking and preparing meals from scratch saw good growth, as did products for home baking.
John Bradshaw, retail executive for marketing at Pick n Pay, says there was an initial spike in demand for personal hygiene products, non-perishable foods and household items, and greater demand for goods to use in cooking, baking and snacking, with muffin and bread mixes being popular.
A Shoprite spokesperson says it is evident that South Africans, who have had time on their hands, are being more creative and are experimenting — baking and recreating popular fast-food recipes.
Marketing company Nielsen refers to the increase in cooking and baking at home as the “homebody economy”, in which consumers prefer to stay at home even though restrictions have been eased.
And it is not just what consumers are buying, but how and when.
Shoppers who opted for in-store purchasing as opposed to online shopping visited stores less often but filled their baskets with more items, says Tohlang.
Shoppers prefer larger stores, he says, where hygiene measures are more stringent.
Shoprite data confirms this trend, recording less frequent visits but bigger shopping baskets. In a trading update in August it noted that as a result of lockdown, customer visits for the year declined by 7.4%, but average basket spend increased by 18.4%.
Henry says that in the initial stages of lockdown, Woolworths shoppers were doing larger shops less frequently, but buying patterns have now reverted to pre-lockdown trends.
Despite shopping trolleys being fuller, the financial pressure on consumers is still evident.
Tohlang says: “Consumers are seeking value” and are opting for value packs and multipacks to get more for “the money that they spend”.
Woolworths’ response to the economic pressure households are under has been to adjust most of its poultry prices down permanently and to increase promotions and extend them over a longer period, Henry says.
Bradshaw says affordability has become even more important to customers and Pick n Pay has focused its attention on its Smart Shopper programme to offer savings and value promotions.
Smart Shopper loyalty participation increased to 70% of sales, with 7-million active customers, and the redemption of Smart Shopper points increased by 50%.