One in five shoppers 'want food waste tech’

New research from IGD has revealed that one in five shoppers would like technology to help them reduce food waste.

Over eight in ten shoppers want to use technology to help them with their food and grocery shopping in future and finding the best deals is their main priority with 55 per cent of consumers looking for assistance with savvy shopping.

But while shopper use of tech for discounts, coupons and offers has been on the rise in recent years, the IGD study shows that shoppers are not just interested in saving money.

Some 22 per cent said they would like help reducing food waste, 18 per cent on health and diet information, 18 per cent with in-store navigation, 15 per cent with one-hour deliveries and nine per cent with sourcing product information.

Reducing waste is clearly a priority for younger shoppers, with nearly a third of 18-25-year-olds (29 per cent) wanting to use technology in this way compared to just 17 per cent of shoppers over 65.

Contrasts can also be seen between different parts of the UK, with those in Yorkshire and Humber (29 per cent) most likely to want to use technology for this purpose and shoppers in Wales and London (18 per cent) least likely to.

Vanessa Henry, shopper insight manager at IGD, said: “Our research highlights a big opportunity for the food and grocery industry to engage and assist shoppers using technology. However, it’s essential that shopper needs are satisfied as otherwise technology becomes short-lived.

“While it’s encouraging to see that the use of technology and digital tools is becoming established ahead of a store visit, particularly when shoppers are planning their shopping or looking for inspiration, there is a real opportunity to harness new innovations and data in driving shopper loyalty for retailers.

“Technologies that might be useful to shoppers in the future could be smart home devices which could help with meal inspiration and planning, and in-store opportunities might include technology that helps speed up the checkout and payment process.”

According to the charity’s research, over four in 10 (43 per cent) of shoppers are currently purchasing food and groceries online and nearly a third (28 per cent) show an interest in using a voice-activated device at home to add items to an online basket.