82% of shoppers in the UK find that supermarkets are out of stock

According to new research from Retail Insight, 82% of UK shoppers say they have experienced out-of-stock items at supermarkets in the past year, up 11 percentage points on last year.

The same study also reveals that 60% of shoppers have experienced the same problem online.

On the other hand, about 71% of respondents believe that product availability has become a more serious issue since the pandemic, with three-quarters of buyers (75%) saying they are facing more stocks now than in the past. Cost of living crisis.

Around 60% of UK shoppers said their favorite brands were less available in stores in the past 12 months, while 45% said they were missing more items from their online grocery orders. Nearly 1,000 shoppers were surveyed for the study.

Challenges in supply chain

UK supermarket supply chains have had to contend with a range of issues in recent months, from poor weather to shortages of tomatoes and other salad crops to the impact of bird flu on egg prices.

“Regardless of the reasons—they are many and arbitrary, many of which are outside the retailer’s direct control—poor product availability doesn’t just affect the customer’s shelf experience.“, commented Paul Boyle, CEO of Retail Insights. “This can result in lost sales for retailers and even more damaging, long-term loyalty.“.

When asked about factors affecting product availability, 57% of respondents cited rising cost of food production and 56% inflation as key factors affecting stock levels.

On the other hand, 43% said logistics costs were rising, with two-fifths (40%) blaming Brexit factors.

Finally, around 27% of UK consumers would ‘question their loyalty’ to a particular supermarket, while a similar percentage (27%) said they would switch their loyalty to a competitor.