| | | Price is more important than quality | | -February 07, 2005- | Findings of the GfK survey on grocery shopping and eating out in Europe
Nuremberg, 7 February 2005 – Price is more important than quality for the majority of Europeans when it comes to grocery shopping. Germany, France and Poland are the most price conscious nations in Europe, while the Italians clearly place a higher value on quality. There are equally as many differences between Europeans when it comes to eating out as opposed to preparing a meal at home. These are some of the findings of GfK’s European Consumer Survey 2004.
The price of groceries is a primary concern for German consumers, long considered the penny-pinchers of Europe. Germany came first in the European survey, with almost 62 per cent of respondents confirming this.
In France and new EU member state, Poland price is the decisive factor for 60 per cent of consumers when purchasing food.
Consumers in the UK and Spain are less price conscious, with just half of the population focusing on the price of groceries. Among the eight European nations included in the survey, only Italian consumers displayed a clear preference for product quality and brands. Two thirds of Italians described quality as the decisive factor affecting their purchasing habits.
| Table 1: Price is more important than quality* | | Total | 54.5 | | Germany | 61.7 | | France | 60.1 | | UK | 49.4 | | Italy | 36.9 | | Netherlands | 57.0 | | Austria | 55.8 | | Poland | 59.7 | | Spain | 49.0 |
Austrians eat out most frequently
Almost 23 per cent of Austrians eat out in a restaurant or pub at least three times a month, placing them ahead of their European counterparts. They are followed by the Italians with almost 21 per cent and Spain and the UK with 19 per cent.
In Poland, people grant themselves the luxury of eating out the least. 86 per cent either never eat out in a restaurant or pub or do so less than once a month.
| Table 2: Number of visits made to restaurants or pubs** | | | at least three times a month | once or twice a month | no more than once a month | never | | Total | 15.0 | 27.0 | 38.1 | 20.0 | | Germany | 13.7 | 30.1 | 48.4 | 7.8 | | France | 12.1 | 29.1 | 40.3 | 18.5 | | UK | 18.9 | 32.4 | 31.8 | 16.8 | | Italy | 20.6 | 23.9 | 29.1 | 26.4 | | Netherlands | 9.0 | 22.5 | 52.6 | 15.9 | | Austria | 22.7 | 34.1 | 35.9 | 7.3 | | Poland | 4.5 | 9.9 | 26.6 | 59.0 | | Spain | 18.8 | 29.5 | 31.1 | 20.7 |
The survey
The above findings are taken from the European Consumer Survey 2004. As part of the survey, GfK Marktforschung surveyed a total of around 9,400 consumers in the following eight EU countries on behalf of GfK-Nürnberg e.V.: Austria, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain and the UK. The representative survey covers approx. 300 million private consumers in Europe aged 14/15 and over, and highlights current trends in the “Health and nutrition” and “House and home” markets.
GfK-Nürnberg e.V.
Established in 1934, GfK-Nürnberg e.V. is an association for the promotion of market research with a membership of just under 700 companies and individuals. The purpose of the association is the carrying out of basic research, the promotion of training and education for market researchers and the regular preparation of studies which are made available to members of the association. With a 64 per cent stake, GfK Aktiengesellschaft is the main shareholder. For more information, go to www.gfk-verein.de
* Response in per cent to the question of whether price is more important than quality or brand when purchasing groceries; Source: GfK-Nürnberg e.V.
** Response in per cent to the question of how often you visit a restaurant or a pub
Source: GfK-Nürnberg e.V. |
| | |
|
|
