According to a new study, fathers buy well-known brands more often, while mothers shop more impulsively. And there are also different preferences when it comes to choosing where to shop.
The distribution of tasks is often still classic: mothers are responsible for the weekly shopping. However, more and more fathers are taking on the main responsibility. This is the result of a study by the opinion research institute Yougov. This is based on a representative survey of parents in Germany at the end of 2023.
44 percent of fathers mainly take care of buying groceries and everyday items; in 2020 the figure was ten percentage points less. 51 percent of fathers say they share shopping responsibility with someone else. Of the mothers, 54 percent say they are solely responsible (2020: 55), and 45 percent share this with their partner.
“The results of our study indicate a social change in the role of fathers in the household,” said Yougov market researcher Philipp Schneider. Factors such as home office, more and longer parental leave for fathers and a fairer division of household chores played a role here.
Different shopping behavior
According to the study, there are some differences between genders when it comes to shopping behavior. 61 percent of fathers say they only buy what they really need in the supermarket. For mothers it is only 43 percent. They shop more impulsively and decide more often on things that they don’t actually need or want to buy. Fathers, on the other hand, have a greater desire for high-quality products and well-known brands in the supermarket.
There are also different preferences when choosing where to shop. Four out of five mothers in Germany buy the majority of their groceries in brick-and-mortar stores. Only 62 percent of fathers do this; they are more open to online purchases. Mothers do the shopping more often between Monday and Friday, while fathers do most of the shopping on weekends.
According to YouGov, various aspects are crucial when choosing products. Fathers spend significantly more money on alcoholic drinks, fresh fish and ready meals, while mothers’ wallets are a little looser when it comes to vegetables and fruit. Health aspects and nutritional content are more important to fathers, while mothers pay more attention to convenience and costs, according to the survey. Retailer loyalty programs such as Payback are also much more popular with them.
Source: Stern
