A way to make significant savings.
The UFC-Que Choisir provides consumers with a comparator of mass-market drives, this Internet ordering service and in-store collection of groceries, updated on January 24.
The price index of an average basket for a family in Ile-de-France is 478 euros, unsurprisingly higher than the national average (458 euros).
“We still do surveys in stores, but the drive offers an opportunity to raise more prices at higher frequencies.
For the consumer, the comparison is also easier on the Internet, ”observes Grégory Caret, director of the UFC-Que Choisir Consumer Observatory.
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Purchasing power: 2020, a black year for the French
This drive comparator has been around since… 2012. “We thought that this card would be successful but it was not really the case, the drive has capped at less than 5% of market share for years.
During the first lockdown, 12% of consumers subscribed to our newsletters used the drive, twice as many as before.
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Since the end of the first confinement, Grégory Caret has reported price stabilization.
“After a very strong increase during the first confinement due to shortages, with in particular a fever of + 10% on the fruits, we have returned to normal since the summer.
We even recorded a decrease of -0.3% on the second confinement ”, underlines the expert.
Through this study, the UFC-Que Choisir also checks the consistency between the prices at the drive-through and those at the supermarket.
"It happened that the prices were more aggressive on the drive but we now see an almost perfect match between the two," he says.
"A large number of drives are backed by supermarkets and customers find the same selling prices and the same promotions as those practiced in the E.Leclerc centers", specifies the Leclerc group, which recalls that delivery on the track is free. .
Why such price differences?
Between the brands in Ile-de-France, the price differences for family baskets amount to tens or even more than a hundred euros.
In Paris, as in the inner suburbs, “competition is less strong because consumers are more captive.
The catchment area is smaller.
In Paris, more than half of the supermarkets belong to the Casino group ”, analyzes Grégory Caret.
According to him, pedestrian drives work less well.
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The Casino group, which often arrives at the bottom of the ranking, declined to comment.
“Casino.fr is the first food e-commerce site to offer such a level of supply and services at the lowest price anywhere in France, outside Ile-de-France,” he nevertheless underlines.
In a less dense peripheral area with hypermarkets, “a store with a high price policy has more difficulty maintaining itself because people can take the car.
There must be several brands in the agri-food chain in the same area for competition to be more important.
E.Leclerc has a very aggressive development strategy ”, continues the director of the Observatory.
More competition in the outer suburbs
“In Ile-de-France, prices are higher, regardless of the area.
In addition to circulation difficulties, purchasing power is generally higher.
The supply is a little more expensive and the costs borne by the brands a little higher, ”notes Grégory Caret.
In Oise, Essonne or in Seine-et-Marne, as in the provinces, there is more competition possible.
“Price remains a major criterion of choice for the French, especially in this period of health crisis.
Our desire is to offer products at the best price and to make daily consumption more accessible.
The price differences with competing brands are often more substantial in Ile-de-France, particularly in Paris where E.Leclerc does not have a drive-through offer but offers an intramural home delivery service ”, adds the Leclerc group. .
An activity boosted by the health crisis
“This enthusiasm for the drive tends to continue.
The idea for the brands was to consolidate in 2020 and build loyalty in 2021 ”, explains Grégory Caret.
Out of a little more than 200 billion turnover for all the large distribution in France, that of the drive represents 10 billion in 2020 against 7 billion in 2019. That is to say a little more than 5% at the national level against 3% previously.
“Their activity in Ile-de-France has increased by 35% since the start of the health crisis,” confirms the Leclerc group.
This increase can be explained by the health concerns of consumers who wish to avoid going to the store.
In this exceptional context, all the teams got into working order to meet customer needs.
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Test drives near you with the comparator
To carry out this survey, the UFC-Que Choisir created a basket of 103 products of national brands and private labels regularly purchased by consumers (groceries, drinks, meats, organic, etc.) and representative of French consumption. 'a family of four.
Once a month, the prices of these products are collected, via the Internet, on the services derived from the main major food retailers (excluding hard discount): Auchan, Carrefour, Casino, Colruyt, Cora, E. Leclerc, Intermarché and System U. On average, the UFC-Que Choisir surveys 4,000 drive stores and records 300,000 prices.
Each user can select their profile (single, family with children or couple without children) and enter their postal code to access the supermarkets near their home.
He can find the average basket price of his store relative to his competitors;
price details for major brands, private labels and organic products;
and price details for all departments of the store.
