The typical Australian shopper won’t give up their favourite coffee, will switch between two or three bread brands and has no particular preference when it comes to toilet rolls – this is according to research commissioned by out of home (OOH) company, oOh!media.

The research was commissioned to gain insights into the attitudes of consumers within shopping centres and about different product categories, also found that consumers were receptive to retail advertising campaigns while shopping.

Over the past three years, oOh! reports that it has invested $35 million in building OOH retail advertising in 290 local, medium and large shopping centres throughout Australia, resulting in retail advertising becoming the fastest growing format in the OOH market, with the company’s retail offering, oOhretail!, delivering growth of more than 50% in the first quarter compared to the same period last year.

CEO of oOh!media, Brendon Cook, indicates while there was significant research around where people shopped, why they shop at specific centres and how often they shopped, there was little research to help advertisers determine what strategies they should deploy for point-of-decision advertising.

“Retail advertising within shopping centre search zones is still in its infancy, however we expect that this medium will soon be a key part of every FMCG media plan as advertisers really start to understand the value of the medium,” explains Cook.

The ‘How We Really Shop’ research, undertaken by The Seed and based on qualitative studies and quantitative surveys, found that in regard to shopping attitudes:

• 83% of respondents said that price discounts often influenced purchasing decisions
• 63% of respondents said they usually stick to their regular brands
• 53% said they get in and get out as quick as possible
• 53% said they know their way around the supermarket and generally go straight to the aisles they need

In regard to purchasing decisions:

• The top 5 ‘Always brand purchase’ categories were coffee (44%), cereal (39%), toothpaste (36%), washing powder (36%) and milk (33%)
• The top five ‘Sometimes brand purchase’ categories were bread (34%), cereal (27%), yoghurt (27%), soup (27%) and cheese (27%)
• The top five ‘Any brand purchase’ categories were toilet roll (30%), frozen vegetables (26%), bread (24%), crackers (22%) and pasta (22%)
• The top five ‘Home brand purchase’ categories were milk (20%), cheese (12%), pasta (11%), kitchen roll (8%) and fruit juice (6%)
• The top five ‘Impulse purchases’ were confectionery (6%), chocolate (6%), wine (4%), biscuits (4%) and ice cream (4%)

In regard to attitudes towards retail signage:

• 62% of main grocery buyers and 91% of teens noticed retail signage in varying locations
• 61% of main grocery buyers and 66% of teens believe retail signage provided more information about an offer or promotion available in store
• 58% of main grocery buyers and 70% of teens saw retail media as a way to communicate something new about a product
• 50% of main grocery buyers and 54% of teens found retail media proved a reminder to a TV campaign
• 42% of main grocery buyers and 49% of teens felt retail media brightened up the shopping centres