This month’s Insights report is all about the topic of buying Irish. We wanted to understand how, where and why consumers buy Irish. We have identified 5 key trends from consumers on purchasing and trying Irish food products. To gather this we ran an online survey and partnered with ParentsandBrands (https://www.parentsandbrands.com) who ran an online focus group on their private platform.
5 Key Insights On Buying Irish
An online quantitative survey of 16 questions was distributed via email during May 2021 to 531 Irish consumers across the country. The survey was active for 10 days and the total number of complete responses was 311. Contact [email protected] for additional information.
Five trends came out of the feedback that are really interesting:
- Where People Buy Irish
- How They Check If A Product Is Irish Before Buying
- Why They Buy Irish
- Irish VS Non-Irish Products
- Encouraging Consumers To Try Irish Products
Key stats from Consumers about Buying Irish Food Products
30% say Supervalu has the best range of Irish food products available for purchase. Although Lidl and Tesco still top the poll in terms of where Irish parents shop.
70% of respondents use guaranteed marks to check if a product is Irish before purchasing.
78% say their main motivation for buying Irish is to support Irish food producers.
48% say they would still buy an Irish product even if there was a cheaper alternative non-Irish product available.
57% say they would like clearer Irish provenance labelling on the products they buy.
Online Focus Group Insights
An Online Focus Group was carried out on the ParentsandBrands (https://www.parentsandbrands.com) private platform in May 2021 with 30 women from their trusted panel from across Ireland.
Here are some of the key insights and feedback:
Where People Buy Irish
“I think Supervalu are great at carrying Irish foods. I also think Bloom is a great way to see and taste the brilliant foods Irish producers have to offer, and the selection is amazing. I’m so disappointed to miss it for the 2nd year.”
Checking If A Product Is Irish Before Buying
“I check the label if I want to know where a product came from and will often do a quick Google if I’m unclear and want to be sure.”
Why Buy Irish
“I purchase Irish foods because I like to support businesses in my country, it keeps money and jobs in the country. I buy them because I love the taste too. Some of the products we produce are wonderful and you won’t find them anywhere else. Wexford Potatoes, Tayto Crisps and Hodgins Sausages to name a few. These products aren’t hard to buy, we love them, are supporting local and helping keep jobs in our country.”
Irish vs Non-Irish Food Products
“It depends on the product and also how much of a price difference. If it was something like cereal or beans, that kind of stuff, I probably would go for the cheaper things. However if it was fresher food like meats or cakes I try to go for Irish foods, I do like to treat myself and have something that is really nice even if it is a bit more expensive. Also since Covid I am trying to support more Local and Irish producers and suppliers.”
Encouraging Consumers To Try Irish Products
“Competitive pricing, easy to see that it’s Irish and knowing who you’re supporting – making it personal.”
Key Recommendations for Brands
People are receptive to samples either at the checkout or with other products purchased, this could be a good way of getting people to try your product and encourage them to repeat buy.
Retailers/suppliers/producers should ensure they include clear signifiers of provenance (Bord Bia Quality Mark, Guaranteed Irish, Love Irish Food etc) that make their Irish products easily identifiable
Be transparent about the origin of your Irish products & shed light where ingredients are sourced from Ireland
Stories about provenance and the producer or supplier are good material for social media and marketing communications about your Irish product, helping to show consumers that buying this product helps support Irish businesses, farmers & communities.
Just under half of the parents we surveyed will buy a more expensive Irish product vs a cheaper non-Irish product, so don’t be afraid of your product cost being higher. It’s all about quality and perception!