An industry market survey conducted by Nielsen has revealed that 22% of Italian consumers claim to have increased visits to discount stores to purchase food and grocery products, compared to 12 months ago.
Significantly, 80% of Italians visit local markets and traditional shops alongside hypermarkets and supermarkets, which are shopped in by 97% of the population.
In addition, self-service tills in supermarkets are used by 33% of Italian consumers (compared to an EU average of 23%), while 17% say they still do not use these services.
The research also indicates that 50% of consumers buy online, while 42% of respondents use promotional online or mobile coupons (compared to 30% in the EU).
In terms of additional extras they would like to see offered in-store, 45% would like the ability to connect to Wi-Fi to make the shopping experience more personalized, 41% would like more targeted offers, while 24% would like to have a personal shopper to assist them in the store.
© 2015 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Branislav Pekic