Around 88% of shoppers in Belgium are concerned about their purchasing power, a new study commissioned by Aldi has unveiled.
The iVOX survey, conducted among 1,000 Belgians, unveiled that consumers are relying more on own brands, special offers and price reductions to create additional flexibility in their budgets.
Respondents said they use the money saved from their grocery carts on leisure and pleasure purchases.
Other Findings
While nine out of ten Belgians say they paid attention to their household budgets last year, almost all respondents (97%) intend to pay attention to it this year, the study found.
Almost half of respondents plan to save even more than last year, while the other half plan to do so at the same rate as in 2023.
In addition to energy bills (66%), 56% of respondents consider the grocery shopping cart as the most important source for saving money.
The survey found that consumers expect to save little on pleasure purchases and leisure activities.
Around 35% are considering cutting their budget for dining out, while 25% plan to cut on events, and 22% on travel.
Focus On Private Label
As consumers focus on promotions, private labels and price comparisons in the supermarket, own brands continue to gain in importance.
Nine out of ten Belgians plan to continue buying own-brands.
Respondents citied high satisfaction with the price-performance ratio as one of the reasons for choosing private labels.
Around 80% of those surveyed are convinced that own brands are equivalent to the quality of A-brands.
More than half of the respondents said that private-label brands provide additional room in their budget for pleasure and impulse purchases.
More young people (60%) said they can use the budget saved for pampering and less essential expenses.
