Tesco Media launches major new study challenging assumptions about grocery shopping behaviours

‘Moving Mindsets’ uncovers how people think and feel while they shop, showing shopping isn’t just about ticking things off a list. It is full of moments that spark inspiration and new brand discovery.

Key findings:

• Only 24% of grocery purchases are habitual; the remaining 76% are new, lapsed or occasional.
• Nearly half of the shopper journey (46%) is spent in inspiration-seeking mindsets.
• Over three quarters (78%) of shoppers change mindsets during a shopping journey.
• 71% enjoy discovering new brands while shopping, and 7 in 10 make the final decisions about what to buy during the shop.
• Over half of people (55%) discover new products before the shop, and 45% discover them during, demonstrating a 24/7 “Constant Inspiration Ecosystem.”
• The majority (78%) are open to relevant non-endemic advertising when grocery shopping, showing the opportunity extends far beyond grocery.

09, January 2026, London, UK: Tesco Media today unveils Moving Mindsets, a landmark behavioural study about how shoppers think, feel, and make decisions in grocery environments. It reveals that most purchasing isn’t in fact habitual - with only one in four (24%) products bought on a routine basis - whereas seven in ten shoppers (71%) enjoy discovering new brands during their shop. That means the majority of the basket is open to influence, underlining the opportunity for brands to inspire people while they shop.

The study - conducted in partnership with independent consultancy MTM and analysing more than 7,000 Tesco shoppers - identifies seven distinct shopper mindsets. It uncovers that nearly half of the grocery journey is spent in an emotionally open, constant inspiration ecosystem.

Not creatures of habit

The study shows that shoppers are immersed in a ‘Constant Inspiration Ecosystem’. Ideas come from everywhere - social feeds, family and friends, retailer emails, Tesco.com browsing, in-store cues - and shape decisions long before a shopper reaches the shelf. Over 50% of shoppers discover new products before they even begin a shop, while a similar number do so during their shopping mission.

The research makes clear that most grocery purchasing isn’t habitual, but that shopping is more of a fluid, mindset-driven journey, rather than a linear funnel. Only one in four (24%) products are bought on a routine basis, while 7 in 10 shoppers (71%) enjoy discovering new brands during their shop.

Shoppers enjoy discovering new brands, and the final decision on what to buy overwhelmingly happens in the moment, with 71% saying they make most of their choices during the shop itself.

Changing moods and mindsets

The study shows that people move fluidly through different moods and mindsets during their shopping, with 78% changing mindsets at least once, experiencing 2.5 mindsets on average. Half (51%) switch from ‘functional’ to ‘emotive’ mindsets at some stage during their shop - proving that even the most focused shoppers can be inspired to try new products. This creates real opportunities for brand inspiration, consideration and influence across the entire shopping experience from sofa to store.

Moving Mindsets opens up significant brand-building opportunities, not just for FMCG but for non-endemic advertisers too. The study shows that 78% of shoppers are open to contextually relevant advertising from non-endemic brands - those that cannot be bought in a grocery store - including financial services, entertainment, travel and healthcare. Advertisers are well placed to leverage these insights to intentionally guide shoppers from functional thinking into more open, discovery-led modes through digital priming, onsite content, in-store displays and value-led cues.

By layering these findings on top of Clubcard insights, brands can understand not just who their customers are, but why they buy and when they are most receptive to inspiration and therefore when and where to invest.

Stacy Gratz, Sales and Marketing Director at Tesco Media, said: “The supermarket isn’t just a place where decisions are finalised; it’s a place where they are formed. Moving Mindsets contradicts the popular assumption that people walk into a supermarket with their minds made up and a list ready to tick off. Instead, this research shows that shoppers are curious, eager to discover new products, and open to inspiration throughout their journey.

Brands need to be part of the Constant Inspiration Ecosystem that influences buyer behaviour, before and during the shop, weaving in off-site touchpoints to prime and prompt ahead of the shopping mission. And our studies show when brands show up with the right message, at the right moment, they can shift shoppers into a more open, discovery-led mindset.”

About the research

Moving Mindsets is a proprietary consumer insight initiative from Tesco Media, delivered in partnership with MTM. The mixed-methodology study spans both qualitative and quantitative phases conducted between July and September 2025, surveying n=7,032 Tesco shoppers and capturing 21,933 real shopping mindset moments across both in-store and online journeys. Product categories included Grocery, Impulse, Beer, Wine, Spirits and Health, Beauty + Wellbeing.

About Tesco Media and Insight Platform

Tesco Media is the ultimate media partner to brands. Built on unrivalled customer insight, it’s a media owner with soul, scale, and storytelling power. Tesco Media helps brands and agencies connect meaningfully with customers, drive creative effectiveness, and grow at the point of purchase.

Through Tesco, the UK’s largest grocery retailer with over 24 million Clubcard households - representing nearly every home in the UK - Tesco Media offers brands an unparalleled view into the motivations and behaviours of the nation. It is perfectly positioned to solve business’s greatest marketing challenges, unlocking growth by enabling brands to connect with customers in meaningful ways online, in-store and via its offsite partners, all while enhancing the shopping experience for its customers.

Tesco Media helps brands and agencies unlock the full potential of their media investment by:

• Delivering actionable insights showing where and how media can resonate and connect with customers.
• Multiplying the impact of brand and performance media, ensuring every campaign works as one within Tesco’s ever-expanding ecosystem.
• Driving creative effectiveness across multiple touchpoints, from sofa to store, with innovative approaches and a brand-new Creative Studio powered by AI.
• Providing frictionless access to planning and buying retail media, with self-serve via Sphere, multi-channel campaign management and real-time measurement tools.

Tesco Media – We know the nation, We know communities, We know people.

For more information about Tesco Media, please visit https://www.dunnhumby.com/tesco-media-insight-platform/