A recent consumer behaviour study conducted by the Consumer Protection Service reveals that 83 per cent of consumers visit more than one supermarket each month to make their purchases.

The primary criteria for choosing a supermarket are location, prices, and product variety.

According to the survey, consumers’ top priorities when selecting products from supermarkets are price (49 per cent) and quality (24 per cent).

The choice of the supermarket itself is mainly influenced by its location (42 per cent), product prices (25 per cent), and product variety (15 per cent).

A significant 83 per cent of consumers visit more than one supermarket each month, and 40 per cent of respondents stated that they always or often research product prices before making purchases at a supermarket.

Regarding awareness of the e-kalathi initiative, 54 per cent of respondents reported that they were familiar with the initiative to create such an application.

Additionally, 67 per cent of those surveyed believe that e-kalathi will work to a large or considerable extent in favour of consumers.

If the initiative is implemented, 30 per cent said they would always or frequently use the application, while 33 per cent mentioned they would use it occasionally.

The telephone survey was conducted by the Consumer Protection Service in collaboration with the research company IMR.

It aimed to capture general consumer behaviour, as well as assess the level of awareness regarding the e-kalathi initiative.

According to the Consumer Protection Service’s announcement, the survey took place from October 3 to October 5, 2023, and involved structured questionnaires administered via telephone interviews.

The sample size consisted of 800 individuals selected through random stratified sampling.

“The Consumer Protection Service believes that the survey results demonstrate that most consumers today seek the best options based on price and quality at conveniently located supermarkets,” the announcement said.
Furthermore, it highlights that consumers are actively seeking information about product prices before visiting supermarkets, utilising available resources such as informative flyers, advertisements, online stores, and applications.