THE NUMBER of people who said price was the most important factor influencing where they shopped fell significantly in the six months to the end of last year.
While 57 per cent of consumers told National Consumer Agency (NCA) researchers that price remained the key element in determining where they shopped, this represented a fall of 15 per cent from the June 2010 survey the agency carried out.
It said it was too early to say if the decline in price sensitivity was a blip. “The reason for this reduction may be seasonal and weather related as fieldwork was carried out during the extreme weather conditions of late 2010,” the agency said in a statement. It said monitoring over a longer period of time would be necessary “before drawing definite conclusions”.
A further indicator, however, that people may have taken their eye off the price, in recent months is the finding that the number of people who admitted they did not know how much everyday items, such as bread and milk, should cost had increased by 10 per cent to 26 per cent.
The regular survey, conducted by Amárach Research, tracks consumers’ attitudes to shopping and pricing in general. It found 71 per cent of consumers said they always or sometimes shopped around for better prices between June and December last year.
The survey found that 17 per cent of those polled said they found it difficult to make price comparisons. Consumers cited building-related services, pharmacies and supermarkets as the areas where they encountered most difficulty in comparing prices.
When it came to finding reasonable value for money, supermarkets, at 71 per cent, and clothes shops at 62 per cent rated highest amongst consumers while insurance services, doctors, motor trade, banks and dentists scored lowest.
