Consumer Trends 2022 – Consumer survey in 17 European countries

Consumer Trends 2022 – Consumer survey in 17 European countries

The FOCUS-Institut continuously conducts studies to monitor developments in the perspectives and attitudes of the population of European countries regarding consumption patterns and preferences. The most recent of these studies, which took place across 17 European countries, shows that inflation affects drastically purchase behaviors. The data shown below is an excerpt of the study and spotlights the category of milk products and dairies.

The shopping behavior of the Hungarian population has changed drastically concerning the category of milk products and dairies. Almost the half of the representative sample states consuming more products in promotions and/or private label goods of this category due to prices increases. Additionally, 33% of the respondents reduces the purchases of milk products and dairies. These findings imply that the majority of the population in Hungary changed its usual purchasing behavior.

The same tendency can be observed also in the 17 surveyed populations, whereas in some countries the proportion of consumers being ready to reduce purchases of milk products and dairies is higher than 30%. Further findings of the present international study suggest that discounters are increasingly preferred.

As far as a prognosis regarding the duration of price increases is concerned, one sees a rather pessimistic attitude of the Hungarian population – the clear majority is of the opinion that price increases will continue beyond the next half or even full year 2023. Only a minority of 8% sees an end to price increases in the near future.

In the European countries, the perception of the duration of inflation is very similar. At least one in every two consumers in each of the examined countries state that price increases will continue for at least the whole of next year. Reaching a 75%, this perception is most widespread in Portugal.

In the context of the present study, there was a particular focus on the usage and preferences regarding online supermarkets. As the data depicted below shows, price level is the most important reason that leads consumers in Hungary to change an online supermarket. This finding renders the very traditional purchase criterion of price as exceptionally relevant in the digital era.

The importance of prices of online supermarkets is not a particular “Hungarian” phenomenon; across all the researched countries, a similar trend is prevalent.

This survey took place in late 2022 in 17 European countries (the max. margin of error for each country is between +/- 3,1% and +/- 4,4%; for the exact sample size in each country see the report below).

The entire study – including all relevant categories (e.g. meat and meat products, alcoholic beverages, sweet snacks, personal care and hygiene, home cleaners and washing detergents,…) and the attractiveness of the respective food retailers in each of the respective countries as well as details and differences between the individual socio-demographic groups – are available on request.