The last few weeks in the run in to Christmas continues to be a key occasion for alcohol purchases in the off-trade, with just over 4 in 10 (44%) alcohol buyers claiming they will be purchasing the alcohol they need for Christmas from the middle of December to the week before Christmas.
This behaviour is very much in line with 2016 results, where some 42% claimed they would purchase in this timeframe. Recent research on behalf of Retail Intelligence by Empathy Research, amongst a nationally representative sample of 1,000 adults aged 18+, sought to identify how shoppers behave when it comes to purchasing alcohol over the festive period in the off-trade.
Alcohol purchased for Christmas continues to be very diverse, with a high degree of purchase evident across the different types of alcohol. There are 7 in 10 (70%) alcohol buyers who will purchase wine this Christmas, with white wine (55%) marginally more popular than red (49%). The proportion claiming that they will purchase lager has reduced from 54% in 2016 to 48% this year, while intended spirit purchase remains largely unchanged (45%). More celebratory and seasonal drinks are also prevalent with just over a third (35%) claiming they will purchase sparkling wine, while 1 in 11 (9%) will be buying either Champagne or port (9%), however purchase intention for all three of which these drinks are marginally down on last year.
The volume of alcohol purchased over the festive period differs, with the three distinct behaviours identified last year in evidence again this year. There are almost 3 in 10 (28%) alcohol buyers claiming they will purchase just enough alcohol to last until St. Stephen’s Day, up from 22% last year. The same proportion (28%) will purchase enough alcohol to last up until New Year’s Eve, unchanged from last year. Finally, just over 4 in 10 (44%) alcohol buyers claim they usually buy enough alcohol to last until after New Year’s Day, reducing from 50% in 2016.
For further information and more in-depth analysis on consumer’s alcohol purchasing and consumption behaviour at Christmas time, please contact Robbie Clarke at Empathy Research.
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