Middle class distrust price cut claims of supermarkets
Supermarket price-cutting claims are distrusted by more than one-third of middle class consumers, according to the results of a study by the British Market Research Bureau and Associated Newspapers.
The poll found that 37% of “Middle Britons” say that they don’t believe the price claims.
The Mid-Britain Report canvassed 5,000 people in May to assess attitudes towards branding, advertising and supermarkets. It found a number of behavioural changes among better-off consumers compared with the same month last year.
The poll found 63% of respondents feel that supermarkets are using the recession to promote themselves. A total of 68% said supermarkets should focus their ads on price, the consumer’s main concern.
The attitude of affluent Britons towards own-label products and promotional offers continues to change as the economic downturn leads to greater price sensitivity.
Well-educated and suburban, Mid-Britons have been buying more own-label goods, up 35%, and using their customer loyalty cards more, up 27%, over the past year.
However, they are more interested in offers on branded products than supermarket own labels. The majority (58%) of those polled are most interested in offers on fruit and vegetables, while 36% are interested in wine and beer offers.
The report also found that 44% of Mid-Britons do not shop online, believing it is cheaper in store. Some 9% of shoppers are buying fewer Fairtrade products.
Economists say this recession has hit middle-class, middle-income Britons harder than previous slumps because of the proportion of white-collar job losses.
The panellists questioned consisted of 2,000 non-readers and 3,000 readers of Associated Newspapers-owned titles the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday.
