"There is a strong emotional aspect to the usage of printed promotions."
The European Shopper survey conducted by iPaper in collaboration with Epinion, measures the state of printed promotions every year. In June 2022, 7,000 consumers from eight countries answered the survey, and the data was collected and weighted to be representative for gender, age and regions. Among other things, the study measured the use of printed catalogues and leaflets among consumers.
Print promotion is part of the shopping behaviour
Despite a growing shift to digital promotion, almost half of the respondents say they use print promotion as much as a couple of times per week or more. Catalogues and leaflets are part of the shopping journey. As many as 73%, almost three out of four consumers, say they use print promotion more than once a month.
There are interesting differences among the countries in the survey. In Italy, printed promotions are read the most - two thirds read them more than a couple of times per week. In Denmark only one third gave the same answer. But despite their lower interest in printed promotion, 60% of the Danish respondents say they read printed promotion as part of their buying journey more than once a month.
Strong emotional aspect
When asked why they use printed promotion, most people (73%) answered "Reading printed promotions can provide inspiration and ideas about which products to buy".
"To compare and evaluate prices" was also a common answer (71%), as was "To figure out what stores to visit" (61%). This shows that print has a big influence on decisions, not only for products, but also for the choice of where to buy them. Groceries is the product category that people shop for most often, and the promotion usage follows the general shopping behavior. Grocery store leaflets are accordingly browsed through more than once per week by many.
Printed promotion gets inside the door
80% of the shoppers say they use printed promotions at home. Since it is used for inspiration about where to go and what products to buy, it is sure to have an important impact on shopping behaviour. The actual shopping can be done either online or in physical stores, so the effect of receiving inspiration and price comparisons in your home should not be underestimated, according to the survey results.
Four out of ten people also pick up printed promotion and catalogues in the store itself. This practise is actually more common among younger people, who tend to be more open for new promotion tactics on the go.
But would they miss it if it were gone?
Shoppers do sign up for digital channels as well, such as newsletters or digital apps. So would they miss the physical promotion if they didn't get it? Yes, as many as 52% say they would. And these findings are similar across the age groups. There seems to be an inherent emotional connection to the printed format, iPaper concludes in the report summary.
In Denmark one out of three says they would miss printed promotion, and in Germany as many as 61% would miss the printed promotion if they didn't get it in their mailbox. Germany is in the top, closely followed by France and Hungary, where 59% would miss it, and Italy, 55%. So don't waste the opportunity to build relationships with print when many advertisers work in digital channels. Your message will be awaited by eager shoppers.