Costcutter retailers helped their shoppers feel safe and delivered great customer service during the challenges of the COVID-19 crisis, a new shopper survey has revealed.
The Costcutter Supermarkets Group (CSG) survey, designed to understand more about changes in shopper behaviour as a result of the pandemic, heard from more than 1,000 shoppers through the Group’s database and outreach on social media.
79% said they felt safe shopping in their local Costcutter store
90% said they felt as safe or safer than in supermarkets
80% said that they felt Costcutter retailers had handled the crisis well
81% said they experienced great customer service with Costcutter
When asked about their future shopping choices, survey respondents told CSG:
85% were likely to continue shopping at their local Costcutter store
94% said they intended to shop the same amount or more at their local Costcutter
72% pointed to the availability of Co-op Own Brand as a major reason for that choice
Sean Russell, CSG Group Marketing Director, said, “We have shared these results with our independent retailers, and alongside thanking them for their incredible dedication to their shoppers throughout the pandemic, we have also provided guidance on what this means for their business.
“The survey showed that customers clearly recognised the extraordinary effort made by Costcutter retailers to keep shoppers safe during the pandemic, but we never take our customer loyalty for granted and through our Shopper First growth programme we continue to help our retailers develop their own local plans to meet shopper demand both now and in the future.
“What shoppers told us loud and clear is that Co-op Own Brand products are a major draw – there is great trust in the brand and quality of the products, which is ensuring shoppers keep coming back to Costcutter stores. There was also clear demand for fresh food, vegetarian, vegan and free-from options which will continue to be a major focus for our retailers.
“Our independent store owners have gone to extraordinary lengths to support their local communities during the COVID-19 pandemic and we intend to do everything we can to help them convert new lifeline shoppers, who have discovered them for the first time during the crisis, into regular, lifelong customers.
'Asking shoppers what works best for them and continuously adapting our offer to meet that demand, will be fundamental to both our and our independent retailers continued growth and success.”