The unexpected reason why shoppers willing to spend extra money on groceries
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Even though the cost of living has soared to staggering heights, new research has shown that Aussie shoppers are willing to spend more on groceries to get their hands on supermarket collectibles.
The research–which was conducted by Canstar Blue–surveyed 1,500 Australian shoppers and discovered that two in five customers are willing to spend up to $74 extra to be eligible for trademarked collectibles from Coles and Woolworths.
The findings came as the country faces an inflation crisis, which saw prices of household essentials increasing by more than $6, and is predicted by the government to peak at 7.75 per cent later this year.
Meanwhile, Coles and Woolworths are competing against each other in a collectibles war to boost their market share. Their programs usually require customers to spend a certain amount or more in one shop to redeem a free collectible.
Coles and Woolworths are competing in a collectibles war. Source: ABC
‘This is the new normal of grocery shopping,’ Canstar Blue’s Home and Lifestyle Editor, Megan Birot stated.
‘The issue here is that we're seeing a shift in consumer behaviour with shoppers now buying into the collectibles frenzy and spending more money at checkout in between weekly food shops to receive small trivial knick-knacks,’
‘Not only do supermarkets know these promotions work for them financially, but consumers are now starting to expect these types of value-add incentives for shopping at a particular store.’
Ms Mirot urged customers to consider whether the supermarket campaigns are worth participating in or are just sophisticated marketing strategies disguised as incentives to get them to spend more money.
Despite the rising trend for supermarket collectibles, the survey showed that nine per cent of Aussie shoppers remain sceptical about the campaigns.
They also added that they refuse to participate in the campaigns as they are designed to encourage extra spending – which is problematic considering the current state of the economy.
Coles’ Magical Builders campaign. Source: Coles
Coles is currently running its Magical Builders campaign, which allows customers to collect up to 35 characters from the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts franchises.
On the other hand, Woolworths recently launched ‘Fix-Ems’ in a collaboration with Disney last month. The collectibles feature 36 characters from the Disney, Pixar, Marvel and Star Wars franchises.
Even though the collectibles target a younger market, adults are splurging more of their hard-earned money to get their hands on them.
Nearly one-third of the survey’s respondents admitted to collecting them for themselves, while 27 per cent of the shoppers said that they were willing to switch from their usual supermarket if it meant adding to their collection.
Woolworths’ Fix-Ems is the leading campaign among shoppers. Source: Yahoo! News
But between the two supermarket giants, it seems that Woolworths' Fix-Ems is in first place as 44 per cent of the respondents revealed collecting them, while 37 per cent said they opted for Coles' Magical Builders.
Woolworths’ Fix-Ems campaign runs nationwide until 9 August, and Coles' Magical Builder campaign ends on 30 August, while stocks last.
What are your thoughts on these collectible campaigns? Should they be criticised for launching sneaky tactics amid rough times or is it an innocent program designed for kids? Let us know in the comments below!
The research–which was conducted by Canstar Blue–surveyed 1,500 Australian shoppers and discovered that two in five customers are willing to spend up to $74 extra to be eligible for trademarked collectibles from Coles and Woolworths.
The findings came as the country faces an inflation crisis, which saw prices of household essentials increasing by more than $6, and is predicted by the government to peak at 7.75 per cent later this year.
Meanwhile, Coles and Woolworths are competing against each other in a collectibles war to boost their market share. Their programs usually require customers to spend a certain amount or more in one shop to redeem a free collectible.
Coles and Woolworths are competing in a collectibles war. Source: ABC
‘This is the new normal of grocery shopping,’ Canstar Blue’s Home and Lifestyle Editor, Megan Birot stated.
‘The issue here is that we're seeing a shift in consumer behaviour with shoppers now buying into the collectibles frenzy and spending more money at checkout in between weekly food shops to receive small trivial knick-knacks,’
‘Not only do supermarkets know these promotions work for them financially, but consumers are now starting to expect these types of value-add incentives for shopping at a particular store.’
Ms Mirot urged customers to consider whether the supermarket campaigns are worth participating in or are just sophisticated marketing strategies disguised as incentives to get them to spend more money.
Despite the rising trend for supermarket collectibles, the survey showed that nine per cent of Aussie shoppers remain sceptical about the campaigns.
They also added that they refuse to participate in the campaigns as they are designed to encourage extra spending – which is problematic considering the current state of the economy.
Coles’ Magical Builders campaign. Source: Coles
Coles is currently running its Magical Builders campaign, which allows customers to collect up to 35 characters from the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts franchises.
On the other hand, Woolworths recently launched ‘Fix-Ems’ in a collaboration with Disney last month. The collectibles feature 36 characters from the Disney, Pixar, Marvel and Star Wars franchises.
Even though the collectibles target a younger market, adults are splurging more of their hard-earned money to get their hands on them.
Nearly one-third of the survey’s respondents admitted to collecting them for themselves, while 27 per cent of the shoppers said that they were willing to switch from their usual supermarket if it meant adding to their collection.
Woolworths’ Fix-Ems is the leading campaign among shoppers. Source: Yahoo! News
But between the two supermarket giants, it seems that Woolworths' Fix-Ems is in first place as 44 per cent of the respondents revealed collecting them, while 37 per cent said they opted for Coles' Magical Builders.
Woolworths’ Fix-Ems campaign runs nationwide until 9 August, and Coles' Magical Builder campaign ends on 30 August, while stocks last.
What are your thoughts on these collectible campaigns? Should they be criticised for launching sneaky tactics amid rough times or is it an innocent program designed for kids? Let us know in the comments below!