Britons keen to go shopping, but expect sustainability, hygiene

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Jun 8, 2020

A new study has shown that more Britons are prepared to get back to shopping post-lockdown than aren’t. But it also shows that things could be different for stores with consumers seeking greater sustainability and more value. A survey from GlobalWebIndex shows that 59% of UK consumers will return to shops fairly quickly, but 38% are looking to cut day-to-day spending.

A third of shoppers plan to to shop online more frequently after the outbreak and two-thirds of Britons are delaying big-ticket purchases (66%). Meanwhile, a sizeable minority are reducing regular financial commitments such as subscriptions and memberships (20%).

A massive 90% of Britons think it’s important to return to “normal” and many of them seem to be keen to take part in the social occasions that could mean they need to buy new clothes. Some 85% want cafes, bars and restaurants to reopen and 60% want sports leagues and competitions to resume.

Yet there’s a sting in the tail with nearly a third saying they won’t eat out at restaurants so often and will visit bars/pubs less often. Around 20% also say they’ll visit fast-food outlets and cinemas less frequently.

And sustainability? Consumers seem to be expecting major commitments from the companies they patronise. Half of Britons say it’s important that companies behave more sustainably in the future and almost as many “feel the heightened importance of reducing their personal carbon footprint/environmental impact”. Some 45% support that view, the same number also saying it’s more important than before to reduce their personal usage of single-use plastic.

GlobalWebIndex has been running its research project throughout the pandemic/lockdown period and said that levels of concern about the pandemic have dropped slightly, down 5 points from 85% in April to 80% in May. But three-quarters of UK consumers expect the coronavirus outbreak to last six months or more. This is actually an increase from the range of 50% to 60% when respondents were questioned in March and April. That belief is potentially behind consumers’ desire to rein-in their spending and the still-large number not prepared to venture out into stores when they reopen next week.

That said, shops do seem to be doing the right things in the minds of shoppers as they prepare to reopen in a socially distanced, more hygienic world. Social distancing measures (64%), regular cleaning/disinfecting (60%), restrictions on the numbers allowed inside venues (49%) and provision of hand sanitiser (47%) are the biggest priorities for UK consumers in public places.