Many American and British shoppers change grocery spending as costs rise, RELEX Solutions research
Consumers are making more deliberate choices about what stays in their grocery baskets as rising costs, evolving eating habits and broader economic uncertainty influence purchasing decisions, according to new research released by RELEX Solutions.
Its survey of 1,000 consumers across the US and UK found that 61% have changed how much food they purchase due to higher grocery prices. 46% have cut back on snacks and junk food, 39% have reduced beef purchases and 34% have cut back on alcohol. At the same time, 68% say fresh groceries remain worth paying more for and 49% say the same for household essentials, suggesting consumers continue to prioritise freshness even as they make tradeoffs elsewhere in their grocery baskets.
Consumers are not reducing spending uniformly across grocery categories. Instead, they are making different tradeoffs based on price, value, health priorities and household budgets, creating a more complex demand environment for retailers and manufacturers.
Additional findings include:
· 54% say lower prices are the single most important action retailers can take to help consumers manage rising costs
· 49% are closely monitoring beef prices as an indicator of their overall cost of living
· 39% say efforts to reduce food waste are influencing how much food they purchase
· 37% say healthier eating habits are influencing purchasing decisions
· 10% say GLP-1s or other appetite affecting medications have influenced how much food they purchase
· 71% are cooking at home more often than they were a year ago
The survey found that broader economic concerns continue to influence purchasing behaviour. 71% of people are concerned that tariffs, geopolitical tensions, supply chain disruptions and other global events will continue increasing the cost of everyday goods over the next six months.
Those concerns are already influencing how consumers shop:
· 51% stock up during promotions
· 47% have switched to private-label products
· 40% shop at discount retailers more often
· 38% visit multiple stores to find the best prices
Consumers are also actively adjusting purchasing habits to manage household budgets while continuing to prioritise products they view as most important. At the same time, products feeling smaller or lower quality ranked as the second-biggest shopping frustration overall, highlighting continued awareness of shrinkflation and value.
The consumer findings align closely with trends identified in RELEX's 2026 State of Supply Chain report, which found organisations continue to face significant challenges related to inflation, tariffs, demand volatility and changing consumer preferences.
According to the report:
· 86% of organisations report being impacted by tariffs and trade policy changes
· 40% cite customer demand fluctuations as a major disruption
· 34% say demand volatility is complicating planning decisions
· 30% of retailers say adapting to changing consumer demand is a significant challenge
“For retailers and manufacturers, the biggest risk is assuming consumers are responding to rising costs in the same way,” says Laurence Brenig-Jones, VP Product, Platform, RELEX Solutions. “Consumers are making highly individualised decisions based on price, health goals, value and household priorities. What's interesting is that while shoppers are pulling back in some categories, they continue to prioritise fresh groceries. That creates a very different planning challenge than broad-based demand declines because retailers need to be able to respond to shifting demand at the category level. As those preferences continue to evolve, understanding category level demand shifts is becoming increasingly important for managing supply chain, pricing, promotions and assortment.”
2026 RTIH Innovation Awards
Grocery retail will be a key focus area at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards.
The awards are now open for entries and celebrate global retail technology innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.
Our winners will be revealed at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards Ceremony, taking place at The HAC in Central London on Wednesday, 4th November.
Check out our 2025 winners here.
Our 2025 hall of fame entrants were revealed during a sold out event which took place at The HAC on 16th October and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by award winning comedian, actress and writer Tiff Stevenson.
In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “This is the awards’ fifth year as a physical event. We started off with just 30 people at the South Place Hotel not far from here, then moved to London Bridge Hotel, then The Barbican, and last year RIBA’s HQ in the West End.”
“But I’m conscious of the fact that, to quote the legend that is Taylor Swift, You’re only as hot as your last hit, baby. So, this year we’ve moved to our biggest venue yet, and also pulled in our largest number of entries to date and broken attendance records.”
He added: “This year’s submissions have without doubt been our best yet. To quote one of the judges: The examples of innovative developments across both traditional and digital retail spaces were truly remarkable.”
Congratulations to our winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Tiff Stevenson, and all those who attended our 2025 gathering.
