Today was probably the peak of America’s panic shopping for supplies before we all prepare to stay home for at least a couple weeks. Only just earlier this month, March, we went from people casually beginning to stock up on things like medical masks, gloves, soap and hand sanitizer, to now the last big shop for a while.
Americans are now in full on panic shopping mode.
If you’ve been to a grocery store, pharmacy or big box retailer lately, you’ve likely seen several empty shelves like these and felt the almost panicky vibe from other shoppers as they search for sold-out supplies, like medical masks and hand sanitizer.
While full on panic has not broken out (at least not yet,) many American shoppers are doing what I call “Coronavirus grocery hauls,” stocking up on non-perishable food and drinks, household necessities (like toilet paper, paper towels, diapers, etc) and taking great effort to obtain medical and healthy living products, like medical masks, hand sanitizer, wet wipes, and other disinfectant products. Most shoppers are in preparation mode, ensuring they have enough supplies for around two weeks or longer, in case going out to the grocery store later is not possible or wise.
Americans are not new to panic shopping; we’ve hoarded up before, for things like Y2K and H1N1.
To keep a constant pulse on what America’s health-conscious consumers are thinking, I’ve conducted what I call “intercept” shopper interviews with random people in grocery stores and big box retailers. I’ve also consulted Green Purse PR’s proprietary panel of Millennial moms asking about their purchase behavior recently. Below are some direct quotes from some of the consumers I interviewed or sought feedback from.
“This is so weird for me; I typically do a grocery shop every other day, not keeping much at home. I also mostly buy fresh foods, so food in a box or can, is a bit out of my comfort zone.”
“I’ve got A LOT of these power, protein and granola bars. They are very filling and can be a whole meal if you need it to be.”
“Call me crazy, but I’ve already done a big grocery shop for non-perishable supplies. I had two grocery carts full the other day, spent almost $500. The only thing I can’t find yet is masks.”
“Beef jerky (lots of beef jerky,) soup in cans, dried or canned beans, pasta, cereal, water. I’m good to go.”
“I have a few disposable masks leftover from a trip to Japan over a year ago, but I really want a reusable and washable mask. I’ve found a few I liked the looks of, from Sweden and also New Zealand, but they are all sold out online.”
“Look at this aisle; crazy, it looks like we’re all preparing for Armageddon in here!”
“I’m ready! I stocked up on supplies about two weeks ago. I’m prepared to keep my kids home out of school if we need to. We’ve got plenty of food and water, gloves and goggles, but what we’re still waiting on are masks. I’m currently on a waiting list on Amazon to get emailed as soon as they are available again.”
“I’m super scared! I’ve got what I need in terms of food now, but I don’t have any masks to protect myself and I cannot find them anywhere. I’ve been to all the drug stores, Target, all the grocery stores around and nothing.”
“I guess I’m going to just have to make my own mask. I’ve looked in stores, I’ve look online, I’ve even looked on Etsy.com for handmade ones - nothing. I suppose I can always just wrap a scarf around my face and wear my sunglasses.”
“I’m not that worried. I’m not going to stop living my life; I also only have myself to worry about, which probably helps. I’m just using good common sense, stocking up on some essentials, some canned foods and what not, and trying to avoid people as much as possible. I’m not eating out if I can help it, I’m not shaking hands or hugging people.”
“If I can just get my hands on some face masks, I’ll feel a lot better.”
“I see nearly all the water is gone, and I’m not sure why they are all buying so much water. I mean I guess I’ll get some too, just in case, but we’re not going to lose water access are we?”
“I just did a massive shop the other day; loaded up on pantry items and I ordered all our household supplies on Amazon. We’ve got enough for weeks if we have to stay home.”
“Well thank God I can avoid going out in public and can order everything online now. What would we do without Amazon Prime?”
“Honestly, I’m more worried about the financial impact of COVID-19. I’m not old, and I’m healthy. If I get it, I get it, but I’ll be fine; I just don’t want the economy to go to crap.”
“I’ve not been able to find masks or hand sanitizer; I need all that still, but luckily I had my parents find some where they are and they are mailing it to me this week.”
“With Spring Break about to come up, we’ve had to cancel big travel plans for our family. We were planning to go on a cruise, but definitely not doing that now. I’ve got our pantry stocked full, so we’ll be fine.”
Empty shelves for hand sanitizer.
Stocking up on pantry staples.
Have a look at these graphs below from Nielsen Retail Measurement Services, tracking the recent growth in spending for products like medical and wellness supplies, and pantry staples.
Source: Nielsen www.nielsen.com/us/en/insights/article/2020/nielsen-investigation-pandemic-pantries-pressure-supply-chain-amidst-covid-19-fears
Consider the shopper quotes and data above to understand how your target consumers is buying right now and how your company can best address their needs. When consumers are on the verge of panic, ask yourself how your brand can help alleviate their worries.
Stay safe out there!
- Lisa Mabe-Konstantopoulos, Founder & CEO, Green Purse PR
We’re excited to partner with the Specialty Food Association to bring the specialty food industry fresh insight into younger generations of shoppers.
Join Green Purse PR’s CEO, Lisa Mabe-Konstantopoulos, for an in-depth look at how Millennials and Gen Z shoppers are learning about, shopping for, using and sharing specialty food products.
Lisa will share some valuable insights from the qualitative research (shop-alongs) she’s recently conducted with Millennial and Gen Z shoppers, as well as examples of other makers who are successfully connecting with young shoppers. Come away with practical insights makers can use in their own specialty food businesses to better understand your shoppers and how best to communicate with them.
The webinar will address these questions and more:
How well do you know your younger consumers?
How can I find who my “tribe” or most passionate consumers are/will be?
How are other makers effectively reaching younger consumers?
What should I be doing now to better understand my company’s young shoppers?
Date: Wednesday, May 15, 2019
Time: 2:00pm EST (USA time)
Register on the Specialty Food Association’s website here → → → https://bit.ly/2J3GMIb.
While in Greece recently on holidays, I took some time to squeeze in a bit of work. I've been to Greece several times before, (my husband is from Greece) but this was my first time doing a proper supermarket tour of Athens and conducting shopper research there.
Athens has some lovely supermarkets and one of my favorites is Thanopoulos, known for stocking a wide variety of products from all over the world and the place to 'see and be seen' apparently. For those not already familiar with Thanopoulos, it is a privately-held family business that has been around since 1877. Thanopoulos currently has three locations in Athens. I visited the Thanopoulos supermarket in the neighborhood of Kifissia (Κηφισιά,) an upscale residential and shopping district, and quite possibly my favorite place in Athens, other than the coast (Vouliagmeni is still my most favorite spot.) Have a look inside one of Athen's best supermarkets, Thanaopoulos, located at: N. Kifissia Ελαιών 38 14564 Athens, GR-A1.
Entrance to Thanopoulos N. Kifissia store
View from the large, roof top patio offering views of nearby mountains.
From the roof top patio. There is a cafe just inside.
View from the second level, looking down on the cash registers.
Organic fruit & vegetables
Fancy Greek olive oils, something Greece is certainly very well known for in the USA.
Minced/ground beef. Lamb and pork, however, seem to be the meats of choice in Greece.
The meat aisle
Organic poultry with the EU Organic Farming certification. Other than that label, nothing real signifiant in terms of claims & product attributes.
Notice some familiar American brands on the snack ailse.
Tons of fancy Greek honey.
Love this pretty honey packaging.
Natural laundry products
The Greeks take their sea salt very seriously. I buy some of these same brands at my local Greek specialty food shop in Washington, DC.
My first time seeing donkey milk.
Organic Greek chocolate
Dining space & cafe
A special perk for parents - a play space with an attendant to watch your children while you grocery shop. This mom loves seeing special accomodations for moms, parents and children.
One more shot from the roof top patio. It was so pretty, I came up here for coffee and a meeting.
If I lived in Athens, I would definitely shop here. It's a modern beautiful, store with lovely amenities and a huge variety of international products on offer. It's no wonder that Athenians are willing to drive out of their way (in some cases,) just to shop at one of the three Thanopoulos locations.
Stayed tuned here on our blog, #GetInHerCart, for more grocery store visits from our travels around the world as we speak at various conferences and conduct shopper research in different markets.
- Lisa Mabe-Konstantopoulos, Founder, Green Purse PR
We recently conducted shop-along research for the new Stopain Migraine brand. We identified a lot of useful insights such as: how shoppers with migraines learn about migraine relief products, where women look for OTC pain relief options and who are the influencers that impact their purchase decisions.
I recently struck up a conversation one morning with fellow first-time mom while browsing fresh produce at a local specialty grocer. Both of us were closely examining the shop's organic sweet potatoes, looking for the very best ones. She offered me a tip she had recently learned -- that this grocer did not mind if you open up the pre-bagged potatoes and make your selection from there. We then realized we both had babies around the same age, and began exchanging ideas around home-made first solid food for babies.
