Home cooking and comfort factor boost food brands

As financial uncertainty grows, consumers are increasingly seeking the reassurance of brands when it comes to groceries, according to new research by IGD ShopperTrack.

Shoppers’ support for food brands is now the strongest it has been for 12 months and, says IGD, that could tie in with the fact that more people are cooking at home.

Of the 1,000 consumers questioned last month, 35% said that it was very important to them that the food and groceries they buy have been “made by a company that specialises in that product”.

Similarly, 33% said it was very important that food and grocery products they buy are “made by a well-known company”, while 32% said it was very important to them that they had “grown up buying or using this product”.

For each question, the “very important” response was at its highest level for a year.

Joanne Denney-Finch, IGD’s chief executive, commented: “”During these uncertain times a third of shoppers are returning to the food and grocery products they know best and are seeking comfort in brands they’ve grown up with. They’re looking for brands that they trust to deliver quality, value and reliability.

“Even though people are facing a squeeze on incomes, when it comes to their food and groceries they’re not just focusing on price. Quality is still important to shoppers – but this might come at the expense of spending on other items, such as restaurants.”