Skip to content
Search
AI Powered
Latest Stories

'Shoppers open to refill-on-the-go but need better communication'

'Shoppers open to refill-on-the-go but need better communication'
Image by IGD

Most Brits are open to change when it comes to choosing sustainable shopping but they need support to overcome key barriers, a recent report has found.

According to IGD's new report 'How to help consumers adopt refill on the go', 83 per cent of consumers are open to change but they need support to overcome key barriers which are perceived cost, effort and concerns around hygiene and quality. This is particularly true of refill on the go.


The report gives retailers and suppliers clear insights into consumers’ attitudes towards refill on the go, and is a considerably valuable tool, enabling companies to formulate sustainable packaging strategies that influence longer term behaviour change. It follows a previous phase of consumer research with 2,000 UK shoppers.

"Collectively, the sector is working hard on solutions, such as reuse, to meet a shared ambition - to halve the environmental impacts of all packaging systems by 2030, whilst still enhancing the benefits and quality of products and their packaging today.

"Delivering sustainable packaging systems is a critical industry issue for food and consumer goods and sits within wider Net Zero strategies. To accelerate the food and consumer goods industry’s progress, business as usual will not be enough. There will need to be at least a 20 per cent reduction in the amount of packaging on the market to deliver this ambition shared by IGD and the industry. This is where reuse systems can play a part," states the report.

The report adds that reducing the need for single-use packaging through introducing reusables is a vital part of the solution though making reuse a reality, at scale, is complex. It’s been so exciting to see retailers and brands trialling new initiatives, but many have not yet scaled and currently consumer uptake is low.

Communicating cost savings is a key window of opportunity to inspire shoppers to try refill on the go. This is especially true at a time when a significant percentage of people are experiencing stress to household budgets and are monitoring how much they spend.

Consumers who hadn’t yet tried refill on the go cited earning rewards and saving money as top, motivating factors in nudging shoppers towards refill.

IGD also identifies that strong marketing, with messaging centred around cost, helped consumers understand that refill was cheaper than the packaged equivalent products in the stores where trials took place.

Shelf-edge labels at the packaged equivalent delivered the best results with nearly half (46 per cent) of consumers recalling seeing shelf edge labels or other signage around the trial stores. Fewer recalled seeing refill on the go promoted on staff uniforms (13 per cent) or social media (8 per cent), states the report.

Whilst awareness of more traditional signage, like the example above, was higher among consumers, digital screens with step-by-step guidance boosted consumer confidence- 68 per cent of consumers agreed it helped them better understand how to use refill on the go.

To drive greater uptake, refill on the go also needs to feel easy, and consumers need reassurance to overcome concerns around hygiene and quality. This needs to be a priority, alongside any marketing, states the report.

More for you

iStock 1458055720
iStock image
iStock image

'Retailers must focus on prices as convenience channel poised to expand'

Grocers must focus on their price positioning to remain competitive as food and grocery spending in UK convenience stores is projected to outpace the hypermarkets, supermarkets, and discounters channel.

According to GlobalData, food and grocery spending in convenience stores is projected to reach £43.2 billion by 2028, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 2.0 per cent between 2024 and 2028.

Keep ReadingShow less
iStock 1137402716
iStock image
iStock image

‘Grocery tax’ to add £56 to food bills

The upcoming “grocery tax” could hit hard-pressed Britons in the pocket, adding up to £56 annually to household shopping bills and costing families as much as £1.4 billion a year, state reports on Sunday (22) citing a recent analysis.

The scheme, known as Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), imposes a levy on retailers and manufacturers for the cost of collecting and disposing of packaging waste, currently funded via council tax.

Keep ReadingShow less
SPAR teams up with Preston primary school to spread festive cheer

SPAR teams up with Preston primary school to spread festive cheer

Ashton Primary School in Preston has teamed up with SPAR during the season of goodwill to donate delicious food to the city’s Foxton Centre.

The school’s Year 3 class enjoyed a cookery session baking pear and chocolate crumbles to take down to the Foxton Homeless Day Centre as a pre-Christmas treat for people who access its services.

Keep ReadingShow less
Cadbury removed from royal warrant list after 170 years

(Photo credit should read Leon Neal/AFP via Getty Images)

Cadbury removed from royal warrant list after 170 years

Cadbury’s has not been granted a royal warrant for the first time in 170 years after it got dropped from King Charles’s list of warrants.

Queen Victoria first awarded Cadbury with the title in 1854 which was then repeated by the late Queen Elizabeth II in 1955 who was a huge lover of the chocolate.

Keep ReadingShow less
The Jolly Steward pub site, South Shields

The Jolly Steward pub site, South Shields

Photo: Google Maps via LDRS

One Stop gets approval for shop plan at South Shields pub site

Plans to convert a vacant South Shields pub into a convenience store have been given the green light, despite objections from CAMRA beer campaigners.

South Tyneside Council’s planning department has approved an application for The Jolly Steward site in the borough’s Harton ward.

Keep ReadingShow less