Roy Morgan has released its latest research data about Australia’s ice cream tub buying habits. The flavour of the moment is Bulla Ice Cream — but only if you’re young and hip enough.
Ice Cream picture from Shutterstock
In 2012, the best-selling supermarket brand was Bulla, with almost one-in-three ice cream buyers choosing this brand. However, the majority of Bulla’s market share is made up of younger buyers, with older ice cream fans sticking with Peters and Streets.
“The popularity of Peters and Streets is highest among grocery buyers aged over 50, while younger shoppers overwhelmingly choose Bulla,” the Roy Morgan report explains.
This is a significant turn-around from five years ago, when Peters was the dominant ice cream brand at supermarkets across all age groups. Its market share has since slipped to 30 per cent; a drop of almost 10 per cent.
According to Roy Morgan research, Australia’s ice cream tub sales have experienced a decline in the past year, with an average of 500,000 fewer tubs purchased each month. Could the unpredictable weather patterns brought on by climate change be somewhat to blame?
Curiously, despite the frequent cold, Tasmanian shoppers are the most prolific ice cream buyers: around 64 per cent of Tassies buy a tub each month. South Australians meanwhile, are the biggest abstainers, with 41 per cent having not bought any ice cream in an average four week period.
Australia-wide, women are more likely to purchase ice cream tubs than males: in the last four weeks, 65 per cent of all ice cream grocery buyers were female.
House brand ice cream sales stay cool
We’ve written about the rise of house brands groceries in the past, but ice cream appears to be one industry where brand loyalty still matters — at least among older shoppers.
Roy Morgan found that Coles’ and Woolworths’ own ice creams have gained a 10 per cent market share in the past few years. This may sound impressive on paper, but its nothing compared to some supermarket goods: house brand eggs, for example, currently command 80 per cent of the market.
“Roy Morgan Research data shows that Coles and Woolworth’s home-branded ice cream tubs are proving popular among younger buyer who may not have the same loyalty to the older, iconic brands,“ Roy Morgan Research director Norman Morris adds.
Ice Cream (tubs or cartons) Buyers Profile [Roy Morgan]
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