The average shopper's relationship with retailers has dramatically changed in recent years, with a third of once-loyal and dedicated brand fans having turned into promiscuous purchasers, according to research by Barclaycard Freedom Rewards, which identified four different 'tribes' of savvy shoppers.
The slow economic climate has turned a further third of British shoppers into careful consumers who plan well ahead and never deviate from their shopping list.
The research, conducted by Barclaycard with consumer experts from Brunel University, found that the recent economic climate has had a lasting impact on how consumers approach shopping and saving money. Bagging a bargain now goes far beyond saving money, as people now place far greater value on the emotional investment of smart spending, giving rise to four new modern shopping tribes:
Consumers use and rely on loyalty and reward cards so much that it has arguably become a currency in its own right. Despite not showing loyalty to one brand over another, 88% of British consumers own at least one loyalty card, while many have a wallet or purse positively stuffed with them. However, the most common way of spending loyalty points is not, as you might expect, to get lavish personal treats, but to make the everyday household essentials budget go even further (40% use points in this way).
"We know that people like to shop around, as nearly half of the UK population (42%) shop at more than one supermarket chain to get the best deals," said Craig Evans, director of partnerships for Barclaycard.
"As a nation, we've evolved into incredibly sophisticated shopping experts. Some of us are clearly smarter than others but, with the wealth of deals and loyalty incentives out there, we've all developed a system that works for us," added Dr Dorothy A Yen, a retail expert at Brunel University.
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