Published on
updated on
Reading 2 min.
Inflation, promotion or shrinkflation… We are accustomed to approaching the question of consumption only through the prism of prices. However, going to stores has a completely different dimension, that of creating a link between consumers or with sellers. Analysis.
Do you know the pineapple technique to meet your soulmate? It’s the trend that has been all the rage in Spain since this summer and that everyone has been talking about since the start of the school year. The principle: when you go shopping, turn the exotic fruit over, taking care to put the leaves at the bottom to show that you are available and looking for a partner. This “trick” only works if you go to a supermarket between 7pm and 8pm. As crazy as it may be, this new “trend” on social networks that is causing a lot of reaction shows how shopping time is not only a time for mass consumption, but also includes a social dimension.
For almost all French people (94%), physical commerce does indeed play a social role between consumers, reveals the Society & Consumption Observatory (theObSoCo) and Galimmo*. The proof: 48% of respondents admit to having made friends with their merchants. But this can also concern other customers. In short, consumers have already made new friends while pushing a cart. This is particularly true for seniors (57%).
And we are not just talking about small local shops, but also about large-scale distribution and all kinds of physical purchasing channels. While 60% of French people visit a shopping centre at least once a month, 87% of French people consider that shops encourage exchanges between different generations, or between consumers of different origins and cultures (82%).
While loneliness has been identified for several years as a scourge weighing on mental health, this observatory demonstrates the power of an act as banal as doing one’s shopping: 57% believe they feel less alone thanks to shops. For example, shopkeepers may greet regulars by name (36%), especially those aged 45-54 and 65-75.
*This survey was conducted among a sample of 1,000 people representative of the French population aged 18 and over, interviewed from July 15 to 24, 2024.