Despite having store cards grocery buyers show little loyalty and are guided by prices

Only two per cent of Irish shoppers do their full grocery shop in just one store according to the Shopper Nation 2014 report.

The results underline the fragmentation and intense competition in the supermarket sector where shoppers, especially in urban areas, typically have a choice of several supermarkets close by.

Price is the main driver with 90 per cent of the 1,000 people surveyed saying that cost is the decider when it comes to where to shop.

The research, conducted by Empathy Research, on behalf of Visualise, a shopper marketing specialist, found that after price, quality of fresh produce and the range of products on offer were key factors.

Curiously while in other lifestyle surveys many would claim to be time-poor, the research found that the average shopper visits stores two to three times a week and spends 31-45 minutes in a shop. Although the time spent shopping varied hugely depending on age and whether the shopper was alone or not.

Younger people who shop in convenience stores inevitably spend less time there but parents with children – 78 per cent said they sometimes or always shop with their children – spend longer in the aisles.

Despite the oft-repeated consumer advice to always make a list before shopping to help prevent impulse buying, just three out of 10 customers bothered to make one.

Although there is an opportunity for a canny app designer as the figures showed that one third of 18-34year-olds who make shopping lists do so on their mobile phone rather than a scrappy bit of paper.

The lack of loyalty when it comes to loyalty cards is shown by the 81 per cent of shoppers who have a Tesco Clubcard and the 73 per cent who have a Dunnes card: many shoppers simply have both.

Six out of 10 of them believe they get good offers and value from them.

Yet our loyalty to the German supermarkets Aldi and Lidl clearly isn't built on coupons as they do not offer them.

"Irish shoppers' attitudes and behaviours have shifted dramatically in recent years," says Eoghan Phelan, general manager at Visualise.

“There are excellent opportunities for brands and retailers to add value for the shopper in store without relying on an unsustainable discounting strategy. There is also strong scope for innovations in the area of couponing and in-store marketing.”