Retail trade spends significantly more on advertising in 2017 than in the previous year
Nielsen reports that the retail sector in Switzerland grew slightly in 2017. Consumers shop with a plan, enjoy bargains, and prioritize quality. Advertising spending rose by 11 percent.
The retail sector in Switzerland is growing slightly: consumers spent 33 billion Swiss francs on their purchases in 2017. Consumers are going shopping more often again: the average household goes on a shopping trip a total of 139 times a year. On average, everyday products worth around 41 Swiss francs ended up in the shopping basket.
This is the result of the current publication Nielsen Consumers 2018 Switzerland by Nielsen, a global performance management company that provides information and insights into consumers' media and consumption behavior. The basic information on consumers, retail and advertising expenditure will be published as an app for iOS and Android in the second year.
Swiss consumers are shopping planners, bargain hunters and quality-conscious
Three quarters of consumers plan their shopping in advance, but 60 percent also tend to make impulse purchases in the store. Just under 64% like to visit well-organized stores with a pleasant atmosphere.
The search for special offers continues to be popular. 63% of consumers prefer special offers for their daily needs. 57% of consumers compare the prices of private labels and brands. In 2017, 27% bought more own brands than in the previous year. 57% of consumers attach great importance to healthy products. Quality is important for 55% - they are willing to pay more for quality products. "Although consumers are increasingly focusing on quality, price sensitivity is also continuing to increase. 52% of Swiss consumers now say they are aware of the prices of everyday products," says Dominik Stocker, Commercial Director Nielsen Switzerland.
Winners and losers in retail
The retail sector in Switzerland generated sales of just under 33 billion Swiss francs in 2017. This is a slight increase of around 1 percent. The number of stores, which has been declining for years, fell further to just over 6650.
The small supermarkets (+3.1%), superettes (2.7%) and hard discounters (+4%) once again increased their sales. There was hardly any change in sales at traditional grocers (+0.3%) and large supermarkets (+0.4%). Hypermarkets, on the other hand, suffered a slight drop in sales (-1.4%).
More spending on advertising
Gross advertising expenditure amounted to 6 billion Swiss francs in 2017. That is an increase of over 11%. Print media and TV achieved the highest spending, closely followed by the internet. "However, the internet is showing the greatest growth in terms of media spending. Spending on internet advertising more than doubled last year", says Dominik Stocker.
About Nielsen Consumers 2018 Switzerland
For the second time, Nielsen is publishing an overview of the retail trade in Switzerland. This data is supplemented by consumer attitudes and advertising spending. The data is based on Nielsen household panel and retail panel data as well as a series of Nielsen studies.
