What: GDI argues that the lack of time is now a major factor of dissatisfaction with shopping among Swiss customers.

Why it is important: Retailers need to reinvent their purpose and make sure their proposed added value is in tune with the current expectations, and do not rely only on pre-existing habits.

GDI discusses the growing importance of time in consumer behavior and the challenges it poses for retailers:

1. Time as a Critical Resource: Consumers are increasingly experiencing time stress, as demands from work, family, and leisure activities grow, despite having more free time than in the past. This stress impacts their shopping behavior.

1. Impact on Life Satisfaction: Effective time management is directly linked to life satisfaction. People feel more satisfied when they engage in activities that are both meaningful and enjoyable.

1. Shopping's Crisis of Fun and Meaning: For most people, shopping, whether for groceries or other goods, is neither fun nor meaningful. It's often viewed as a chore, leading to a desire to reduce the time spent on it. This represents a crisis of fun and meaning for the shopping experience.

1. Changing Shopping Patterns: The importance of shopping in people's lives is declining. There's a noticeable trend of people wanting to spend less time shopping.

1. Diverse Shopper Types and Expectations: Shoppers can be categorized into four types: open-minded optimisers, disciplined needs-based shoppers, efficient identity-based shoppers, and aimless browsers. Approximately 85% of the population (based on the Swiss context) prefers to shop quickly and efficiently, while only 15% enjoy taking their time to browse leisurely.

1. Strategies for Retailers (Four Ps): To make shopping appealing again, retailers need to focus on four key strategies:

◦ Promptness: Making shopping experiences faster.

◦ Proximity: Ensuring shopping venues are conveniently located.

◦ Pleasure: Enhancing the enjoyment factor of shopping.

◦ Purpose: Adding meaningfulness to the shopping experience.

Retailers face the challenge of adapting to these changing consumer preferences and time constraints to make shopping a more positive, efficient, and meaningful experience.

GDI: Going shopping is dead