A detailed analysis of NZ’s grocery trends, based on the buying behaviours of 2.8 million Countdown customers each week, has been presented by Countdown in its third annual Trolley Report.
Once again bananas were the number one top-selling grocery item with Kiwis buying an average of 18kgs of bananas per person between October 2015 and October 2016. Homebrand $1 bread came in at the number two spot, according to the data.
Last year’s ten top selling grocery items were:
Bananas
Homebrand $1 bread
Broccoli
Avocado
Sweetcorn
Homebrand Standard 2L milk
Strawberries
Cucumber
Homebrand Standard 3L milk
Red capsicum
Chicken was ranked as the meat most favoured by Kiwis, with beef mince and beef corned silverside next in line. The most popular seafood was salmon, followed by NZ live mussels.
Countdown has also introduced 122 dedicated health and nutritional aisles and will roll out more across the network, in order to meet the demand for healthier product options.
In order to stop 500 tonnes of non-recyclable black foam trays from ending up in the landfill and to be more conscious of the environment, Countdown has introduced new recyclable meat trays. 430,000 reusable grocery bags were purchased by Coundtown customers, up 130 percent year-on-year, with Aucklanders being the biggest users in 2016 (180,000 bags).
Convenience services such as the Click and Collect service, the NZ Post parcel collection and online shopping available at Countdown are growing in popularity as more shoppers opt for time-saving tactics.
Countdown’s General Manager Merchandise, Chris Fisher, says convenience is key.
“Kiwis lives are changing and so too are our shopping habits. In most families, both parents are working; we are more time-poor and looking for ways to make our lives easier. Additional services such as online, Click and Collect as well as being able to pick up your post and pharmacy needs all under one roof are becoming increasingly important to customers.”
“Convenience is the driving force behind a range of our services, helping give customers back some valuable time,” said Dave Chambers, managing director, Countdown.
