The results of the Shopping Preferences and Business Opportunity Survey have been released by the District of 100 Mile House.
The survey gave residents the opportunity to share what influences their shopping, spending habits and to indicate the types of products and services they would like to see available locally.
“The survey was designed to find out how shopping habits have changed over the past few years, inform businesses to help them remain competitive, and identify which product and service gaps represent promising investment or expansion opportunities. Ultimately, the goal is to slow shopping dollars leaking out of the local economy,” the District said in a news release on July 7.
There were 597 surveys returned. The high number of responses indicates to the District that residents are interested in engaging in the local economy.
In the past two years, residents have gone out of town primarily for medical/dental appointments and to visit family and friends. Sixty per cent said they made impulsive purchases and 86 per cent said they prioritized shopping when out of town for other reasons. Kamloops, Williams Lake and online were the top places residents went to shop. Big ticket items like electronics and appliances are purchased in Kamloops, followed by 100 Mile House.
The top three reasons residents shop out of town are product availability, selection, and price. Respondents said they scheduled out-of-town shopping trips monthly, with every three months having the second highest response.
On average, residents said just over 50 per cent of their monthly spending took place in town. There were 426 people who reported their estimated monthly household spending out-of-town. On average, they spent $560, which equals nearly $240,000 per month.
There were 402 people who reported their monthly spending online, an average of $300, equaling $120,000 per month.
The products regularly purchased out of town are clothing, footwear, groceries, specialty foods, furniture and home décor. Regular online purchases included clothing, footwear, toys, hobbies, and health and beauty products.
As inflation climbs, people are becoming even more aware of how much things cost. While it may seem that shopping at franchise stores outside of town is more cost-effective for essential goods like groceries, shoppers need to look at travel expenses such as fuel, eating out and miscellaneous expenses and determine if cost savings warrant the additional spending.
“How we shop in a smaller community may require greater effort. IE: we may need to visit two or three grocery stores to fulfill our household food shopping needs. While this may be less convenient than a one-stop shopping experience, it may actually be less expensive and more convenient than travelling out of town.”
Knowing some of the product categories residents said were not available locally could assist local businesses create targeted marketing campaigns to educate people about the actual range of options available. Posting items they carry and new stock arriving that fit in these categories may generate greater awareness of locally available products and help keep a few more shopping dollars in town.
The product gaps noted in the survey are opportunities for local businesses to potentially fill or for the recruitment of new businesses. Even one new business, if it keeps residents shopping locally, could have beneficial spin-off effects for other local businesses.
Finally, the survey confirmed that everyone wants to feel they are getting value for their money. That may be tied to excellent customer service, a positive shopping environment, clear return policies, and other considerations not directly related to cost or selection.
Next steps: The survey results will be used to support investment attraction efforts by approaching new businesses, supporting investment inquiries, and promoting retail opportunities as part of the investment materials package.
The full survey findings report can be found at: https://www.100milehouse.com/Shopping-Survey-2023-Results
fiona.grisswell@100milefreepress.net
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