By Russell Barrow

Leading retail and shopper marketing agency, Savvy Marketing, has announced the findings of its shopper panel, a bi-monthly research panel. Savvy’s “Proudometer” measures and examines the nation’s attitude towards being British and following a year of celebrations - including the Queen’s Jubilee, Bradley Wiggins winning the tour de France, the London 2012 Olympics and the Paralympics - attitudes towards “Britishness” have changed significantly.

This research looks closely at the impact that these events have had on the nation’s pride and how it could affect future buying behaviour.

Key findings:

“Proudometer”

o In early 2012 59 percent of the British population was “proud” to be British. This stayed around the same mark (58 percent) in June but rose significantly to 76 percent at the end of August.

o Just how proud is the British nation: The research shows 28 percent of Brits were “very proud” early on in 2012. Figures rose to 30 percent in June and scaled up to a huge 51 percent in August.

o Pride, it appears increases with age: In August 30 percent of 18-24 year olds admitted to being “Very proud”. This contrasts significantly with the eldest age group (65-74 year olds) of which 58 percent is “very proud”. All age groups saw significant increases in pride as the year has progressed.

o Gender differences: There’s little difference in British pride between the sexes, but of the two, in August the women pip the men to the post. 56 percent of women are “Very proud” versus 46 percent of men. Figures from earlier in the year were consistent with these results and showed women were still prouder to be British than men.

Potential retail impact/trends

o Buying British: At the beginning of the year 68 percent of Brits said they were likely to buy goods and products that are British. This then dropped to 63 percent in June but rose significantly in August to 72 percent.

o Bring back the flag: Despite the decline since the Jubilee, more than half (54 percent) of Brits welcomed the increased use of the Union flag in town and city centres, and 40 percent wanted it to remain a permanent part of the shopping experience. Only 7 percent of the population was keen to see the back of them.

o Gender differences: Women are more likely to buy British than men and this has been consistent across the months.

o Age changes: Interestingly the biggest attitude change towards buying British has been in the 45-54 year old group. At the beginning of the year 25 percent of this group was very likely to buy British, but this has grown to 32 percent in August – an increase of seven percent and something British retailers should be aware of.

Catherine Shuttleworth, CEO of Savvy Marketing said:

“The research findings give us some insight into the nation’s attitudes to British Pride following an amazing summer of events from the Jubilee to the Paralympics. Our panel shows the Olympics in particular has provided a massive boost to the pride of being British and has given the nation as a whole a much needed positive lift during very tough economic times.

“Certain retailers – particularly the grocers – were well prepared to tap into some of this positive feeling over the summer and that has reflected in recent market data we’ve seen. Not all retail sectors have done so well however. Those that missed out will be watching carefully to see if this rise in British pride is a short-term blip or whether it will form part of an Olympic legacy.

“The retail sector has seen inconsistency in spending patterns over the summer, but now needs to turn its attention to maximising and prolonging this feel good feeling and positivity in the build up to Christmas. Those retailers who decide to continue to fly the flag may well be able to keep the British love going to their commercial advantage.”

The British index research is carried out as part of Savvy Marketing’s shopper panel research, a bi-monthly survey of around 1,000 shoppers which investigates the latest shopper attitudes and trends.

About the author

Russell Barrow is PR for Savvy Marketing, a leading retail and shopper marketing agency. Savvy’s capabilities and experience are far-reaching, spanning disciplines from in-store activation and digital to brand planning and retail marketing. But what defines them is their approach: their relentless focus on the shopper and retailing. Savvy work on the principle that if an idea does not engage the shopper and drive profitable sales growth, then it’s not worth pursuing.

Savvy place shopper, retail and brand insight at the centre of everything they do. But they understand that for a campaign to be successful it needs not only to delight the shopper and encourage them to buy time and time again, it has to meet brand objectives, deliver ROI and excite the trade.

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