Turkey Top of the Festive Shop

According to a recent survey by food and drink marketing specialist The Food Marketing Experts, turkey scored top of the shopping list when it comes to must-have Christmas food purchases (66%). 

This was followed by pigs in blankets (42%) and mince pies (25%) with a mere 15% claiming Christmas wouldn't be the same without the humble Brussel sprout (unsurprisingly, the appeal of this veg rose to 21% amongst the over 60s). 

The over 60s also appear more likely to go for the full traditional Christmas Day spread, chomping through a full traditional turkey roast complete with roast potatoes, stuffing, pigs in blankets, Brussel sprouts and mince pies.

Christmas food shopping habits

The days of the one “big shop” to purchase all those Christmas food essentials is over according to the study, with 65% of respondents claiming they prefer to stock up during the weeks ahead of 25th December rather than scoop everything up in one major shopping spree.

And while online shopping offers clear advantages at this time of year, almost three-quarters of shopper still prefer to shop in person rather than rely on a supermarket delivery service. Almost a quarter of those surveyed claimed to splash out and visit a more expensive supermarket for their festive purchases.

Post pandemic, there is still some loyalty towards the more independent stores, with 11% of respondents buying at a farmers' market and 10% at a farm shop, with another 10% remaining true to their local grocery or corner shop and 8% intending to buy at a local deli. These non-supermarket locations are most popular with the 30-39 age group with a strong bias towards women.

Value for money and quality focus

Value for money / price and quality of the food / produce on offer were deemed the most important buying triggers scoring 67% and 66% respectively. The importance of the food quality marries up with the preferred in person shopping experience, allowing shoppers to examine the quality of goods before adding them to the burgeoning shopping trolley.

However, with 61% agreeing to the statement “I'll be more concerned about the total cost of our festive food bill this year than I was last year” and almost a third (32%) saying they strongly agreed, clearly the rising cost of living is weighing heavy on peoples' minds as the Christmas celebrations draw nearer.

Despite the above and acknowledging that many people may be feeling the pinch, a whopping 95% still splash out on buying food specifically for the festive holiday period confirming the theory that when times are hard, good food remains one of life's little luxuries.