Sti is quick to say convenience in spending: different consumers have a different idea of convenience. This is demonstrated by the in-depth dossier contained in the new edition of theObservatory I imagine of GS1 Italy. About 133,000 food & beverage, pet care, home care and personal care products were analysed. A large basket of products which in 2022 represented 82.1% of what was sold by hypermarkets and supermarkets.
Hunting for convenience, how is spending by Italians changing?
The Immagino Observatory has divided the assortment into three price ranges, monitoring their trend. Result: to suffer the least impact on the reduction of consumption are the high-end products (those with prices up to +31% on the average price). They represent 30.3% of sales and in one year they have fallen in volume by -5.1% against the -5.8% average.
Instead, it was the lowest rangewith prices at least 15% lower than the average, to suffer the greatest reduction in volumes (-6.1%). In short, those who spend on low-cost products buy less. As for the mid-range, it lost -6.0% in volumes and increased its turnover by +5.5%.
Big format, no thanks. I buy less
The convenience format is not the solution ideal for Italians. In fact, most have preferred to spend less on cash, even at the cost of more frequent expenses and, therefore, potentially higher final outlays. This was seen above all in home care, personal care and fresh products, where these maxi packs have a greater impact on sales. The greatest falls in volumes concerned the low (-15.4%) and medium (-10.8%) price ranges, showing that the weaker part of the population has no choice but to buy less.
Healthy shopping beats the “Italian” one
The success of some products comes from some claims indicated on the label. Sales increased both in terms of value and in volume mainly from three indications. On all and for all price ranges: “low sugar” (+17.6% in value, +4.1% in volume). They follow “protein” (+15.0% in value, +0.1% in volume) e “lactose-free” (+12.1% in value, +2.1% in volume).
The products that recall the Italian spirit on the label are less successful. All nine of the claims, stamps and European geographical indications surveyed by the Immagino Observatory have suffered a reduction in volumes sold against the increase in prices. The claim that has held up best is the “supply chain”, with a limited drop in volumes (-0.7%) despite a significant price increase (+12.1%). The world of organic products also contracted, falling both in terms of value and volume (-2.3% and -9.4% respectively).
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