2023年歐洲15國低成本消費調查報告從低價羞恥到理性消費 -A LOW COST TO SUIT EVERYONE -From forced choice to smart purchase

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oouw

oww

2023

Fromforcedchoicetosmartpurchase

ALOWCOST

TOSUITEVERYONE

BNPPARIBASPERSONALFINANCE

AEuropeansurveyconductedin15countries

03

L’ObservatoireCetelem

2023

EDITORIAL

Thelow-costworldisnothingnewtoL’ObservatoireCetelem.Backin2009,wewereoneofthefirst

publicationstoreportontheDaciacrazeandits

variouseffects.Then,in2010,weassessedits

impactagainstthebackdropofthesubprimecrisis.

Today,crisesaboundonceagain.Thegeopolitical

crisistriggeredbythewarinUkrainehasbeen

rumblingonalongsideaneconomiccrisismarkedbythesudden,damagingreturnofinflationlevelsthatwehadmistakenlybelievedbelongedtothe

past.Inlastyear’sCetelemBarometer,consumerswerealreadyanticipatingtheemergenceand

consequencesofthisinflation,particularlyintermsofpurchasingpower.

Asaconceptthathasalwaysbeensynonymouswiththelowestprices,thelow-costapproachseemedto

bethenaturalchoicewhenthethemeofthislatest

ObservatoireCetelemwasbeingchosen.Without

revealingthefullbreadthofthestudy’sfindings,twokeyelementsstandout.Thefirstisperfectlyreflectedinthetitleofthissurvey.Gonearethedayswhenlow-costoptionsmighthavebeenconsideredashamefulfacetofconsumerism,whenonemighthavestepped

throughthedoorsofashopalmostwithafeeling

ofembarrassment,hopingnottobeseen.Thelow-

costsegmentisaimedatallconsumers.Itcatersto

everyone,whethertheyareinthismarketoutofchoiceornecessity.Peopleonhighandmodestincomesalikegoforlow-costoptionsfordifferentreasons,chiefly

dependingonwhethertheyliveinEasternorWesternEurope.

Second,whilethelow-costmarketenjoysa

relativelypositiveimagethathasmoretodowithreasonthanpassion,itisprobablysafetosaythatithassignificantroomforgrowth,particularlyin

sectorswhereithasyettotrulymakeitsmark.Butthisgrowthshouldcomewithacondition.Thelow-costphilosophymustnotforgetitsroots,itsraisond’être.Inotherwords,itmuststayfaithfultoits

cut-priceDNA.

Happyreading.

FlavienNeuvy

HeadofL’ObservatoireCetelem

0405

L’OBSERVATOIRECETELEM

Foundedin1985andheadedbyFlavienNeuvy,L’ObservatoireCetelemisaneconomicresearchandintelligenceunitofBNPParibasPersonalFinance.

Itsmissionistoobserve,highlightandinterpretshiftsinconsumptionpatternsinFranceandabroad.Tofulfilthisambition,L’ObservatoireCetelemhassetuparangeoftoolsthatrelyondiverseandcomplementarycontent,including:

-TheObservatoires:Twohighlyrespectedannualsurveysconductedinternationally:aworldwidesurveyontheautomotivemarket(18countries)andaEuropeansurveyonconsumertrends(15countries).

△

-ThezOOmreports,whichfocusonlifestylesandexploremajorthemes(“TheFrenchandtheirfinances”,“Foodatatimeoftoughfinancialchoices”,etc.)inthreestages,byseekingtheopinionofFrenchconsumersviathree-wavesurveys.

CONTACTS

FlavienNeuvy,HeadofL’ObservatoireCetelem:+33(0)647593554–flavien.neuvy@PatriciaBosc,ManagingEditor:+33(0)762787348–patricia.bosc@

TABLEOFCONTENTS

A

TY

cwprice

☆

△

L’ObservatoireCetelem

2023

FOREWORD06

1

AWELL-ESTABLISHEDREALITY08Awarenessandperceptionofthelow-costmarket10Sectorsandbrands:adominanttriumvirate17Asimpleoffer23

andforemost30

Lowcostforall,butfordifferingreasons35

Afuturesecured 48

Bystayingfaithfultoitscut-priceDNA55

CONCLUSION62

3-RKET46

THECOUNTRIESOF

L’OBSERVATOIRECETELEM63

0607

FOREWORD

ThelatestCetelemBarometer,whichwaspublishedatthestartoftheyear,pointedtothe“inevitabilityofinflation”,toquoteoneofthetitlesofthesurvey,andtotheconsequencesEuropeanconsumerswerepredictinglastyear.

Theaimofthereportwasnolongertopredictitsmagnitude,butrathertoassesstheimpactofaneconomicphenomenonwhich,forthepreceding40years,wasthoughttohavebeeneradicated

forgood.

ThroughthisrecentBarometer,Europeansvoicedtheirfeelingsabouttheirpurchasingpower,whichmorethanhalfofrespondentsfelthadfallen.

ThissensewasparticularlystrongintheNorthernandWesternEuropeancountries.Inthisturbulenteconomicclimate,consumptionwasholdingfirm,whilesavinghadfallenintodecline,havingriseninpopularityduringthepublichealthcrisis.

Fig.1

Overthelast12months,haveyoudecidedagainstmakinganyofthefollowingpurchasesforfinancialreasons?

Shareofrespondentswhoanswered“Yes”.In%.

Travel,holidays

51

Leisure(sports,culturalactivities,etc.)

48

Fuel

29

29

Day-to-daypurchases(food,hygiene,etc.)

Source:L’ObservatoireCetelem2023

Asfortheconsequencesofrisinginflation,thislatestsurveyhighlightstheincreasedfragilityofconsumption,duetoindividualshavingtomakecertaintrade-offs.

64%ofrespondentssaidtheyhaddecidedagainstmakingcertainpurchasesoverthelast12months.Whilethesedecisionsweremainlytothedetrimentoftravel,holidaysandleisureactivities(6outof

10respondents),expensesthatpeoplefeelthey

canlivewithout,nearly4outof10Europeansalsorefrainedfrompurchasingday-to-dayitemsorfuel,whicharegenerallydeemedessential(Fig.1).

L’ObservatoireCetelem

2023

39%

statethattheyhaveonoccasiondecided againstspending moneyonfuelorday-to-dayitems

59%

statethattheyhavedecidedagainstmakingcertain

purchases relatingtoleisureactivitiesorholidays

64%

ofthepopulation

surveyedsaythey

havedecidedagainst

makingcertain

purchases

Mentioninginflationandareluctancetoconsumeinthesamebreathnaturallyraisestheissueof

pricewhich,inthesetougheconomictimes,hasbecomemorecrucialthanever.Andconsumers

inevitablywantpricestobeaslowaspossible.

Thelow-costconceptisadouble-edgedsword

thatisbothuniversallyappealingandanecessityformany.

0809

ao

wS

L’ObservatoireCetelem

2023

I-ESTABLISHED1

TheEnglishlanguagehasagiftforturningsimplewordsintopopulargeneric

expressionsthatareusedaroundtheworld.Ithastheabilitytoneatlydenoteavastarrayofproducts,services,companiesandevenattitudes,whichinspiteoftheir

diversityarelinkedtogetherbyasingleidea,inthiscaselowprices.Itseemedessentialforasurveydevotedtothetopictounderlinethepoweroftheconceptandthedegreetowhichithasbeenembracedbyconsumers.

1011

Awareness

andperceptionofthelow-costmarket

“Lowcost”isoneofthoseexpressionsthathave

slowlyestablishedthemselvesovertime,without

itbeingpossibletoaccuratelypinpointtheirorigin(seepart3).Today,thetermhasbecomepartoftheeconomicvocabularyofindustryprofessionalsandconsumersalike.

ACONCEPTTHATISWIDELYKNOWNANDRECOGNISED

9outof10Europeansinterviewedforthissurveyhadheardofthelow-costconcept.

Insomecases,thetermisalmostuniversally

recognised,withscoresapproaching100%ina

numberofcountries,includingItaly,Bulgaria,SpainandPortugal.

Mosthavemorethanapassingacquaintancewith

thenotion,with55%ofrespondentsstatingthat

theyunderstandspecificallywhatthetermmeans.Themostperceptiveconsumerscanbefoundin

SouthernEurope,with8outof10Italians,SpaniardsandPortugueseabletodefineexactlywhatthe

twowordssignify.Incontrast,Poles,AustriansandSlovaksarenotasfamiliarwiththeconcept,with

lessthan3in10beingabletoclearlydefinewhatismeantby“l(fā)owcost”(Fig.2).

L’ObservatoireCetelem

2023

Fig.2

Haveyoueverheardofthelow-costconcept?

15-COUNTRYAVERAGE

55

Shareofrespondentswhoanswered

“Yes,andyouknowexactlywhatitis”.In%.

Lessthan30%

Germany

30%to49%

58Sweden

50%to69%

40

70%andover

Poland

21

Belgium

33

38

CzechRep.

UnitedKingdom47

28Slovakia

France63

56Romania

72Bulgaria

Portugal81

Austria

25

59Hungary

Italy

80

Spain

82

Source:L’ObservatoireCetelem2023

ANOTEDLEVELOFDEVELOPMENT

AsimilarproportionofEuropeansalsoconsiderthelow-costmarkettobewelldevelopedin

theircountry.6outof10respondentsareof

thisview.Only11%goasfarassayingthatitisverywelldeveloped,whichleavesthelow-cost

sectorconsiderablescopetoboostitsvisibility

andthereforeitseconomicclout.Geographically

speaking,thehighestproportionsofconsumerswhostatethatthelow-costmarketiswelldevelopedcanbefoundinNorthernandWesternEurope(7out

of10inSweden,theUKandFrance)(Fig.3).

Fig.3

Doyoufeelthatthemarketforlow-costproductsandservicesiswelldeveloped

15-COUNTRYAVERAGE

60

inyourcountrytoday?

Shareofrespondentswhoanswered“Yes”.

In%.

Germany

Lessthan45%

73Sweden

45%to59%

60

60%to69%

Poland

38

70%andoverBelgium

55

39

CzechRep.

UnitedKingdom71

43Slovakia

France70

42Romania

47Bulgaria

Portugal51

Austria

49

49Hungary

SpainItaly

Source:L’ObservatoireCetelem20236460

12

L’ObservatoireCetelem

2023

Low-costLogan

airtravel

LOWCOST:ANENTIRECONCEPT

INTWOWORDS

Whiledifferentterminologyisemployeddependingonthesector,from“l(fā)owfare”to“harddiscount”to“economyclass”,

thedefinitionoflowcostnonetheless

restsuponseveralpointsofconsensus.Thisisabusinessmodelgearedtowardssignificantlyreducingprices,onethat

isbasedontheimplementationofaparticularlogisticalandpersonnelmanagementrationale,butalsoa

functionalservice.Theseattributesprovide

atangibledescriptionofaneconomicinnovationthatenablespricestobereducedbyatleast25%comparedtotraditionalretail.(Fig.4).

LOWCOST

Consumersareclearlywellawareofthis,

sincethewordstheyaremostlikelyto

associatewiththelow-costconceptrelatetothisaspect:“l(fā)owprice”,“valuerange”

and“promotion”.Theyalsolinktheconcepttothenotionof“poorquality”,echoing

animageofthelow-costmarketthat

evokesextremelysparsesalesfloors,theavailabilityofonlythemostbasicentry-levelproducts,andminimalcustomer

service(Fig.5).

Thelow-costapproach

allowspricestobereduced

byatleast25%compared

totraditionalretail.

Direct

banking

Definitionandfieldsofapplicationofthelow-costapproach

Source:EmmanuelCombe,LeLowcost(publishedbyLaDécouverte,2019).

Fig.4/Context

LEAN

PRODUCTION

RELOCATIONACOUNTRY

WITHCOSTS

COMMERCE

LOW

TO

E-

13

1415

Fig.5

Whenyouheartheterm“l(fā)owcost”,whatdoesitmeantoyou?Whatwordsspringtomind?

Toallrespondents.

LAST-MINUTEOFFERS

PRICECEILING

ASPECIFICUNBRANDED

PROMOTIONSAIRLINESPRODUCT

VALUERANGEGOODVALUEFORMONEY

DISCOUNTPRODUCTS

CONSUMINGLESS

UNBRANDEDPRODUCTSWHOLESALEPRODUCTS

GOOD

STORE-BRANDPRODUCTS

POORQUALITY

OFFERSSAVINGS

LOWPRODUCTIONCOSTS

HOUSE/APPARTMENT

PRODUCTSREDUCEDTOTHEESSENTIALS

ENERGYSAVINGSNEGATIVECONNOTATIONS

Source:L’ObservatoireCetelem2023

Thewordcloudwasgeneratedautomaticallybasedontheexhaustivityofthespontaneous

answerstotheopen-endedquestion.Thesizeofeachwordintheimagereflectsthefrequency

withwhichitisused.Theworddisplayedinthelargestcharactersisthatusedmostfrequentlyintheanswersofrespondents.Aword’spositioninthecloudhasnospecialsignificance.

ADECENTIMAGE

THATCOULDBEENHANCED

Aswehaveseen,thelow-costmarketiswell

known,widelyrecognisedandwellestablishedintheeyesofconsumers,inadditiontoenjoyingagenerallysatisfactoryimage.TheaveragescoreassignedbyEuropeansasawholeis6.5,with

Romaniansprovingtobethemostenthusiastic(7.3)andtheAustriansandFrenchthemost

sceptical(5.8and5.9).Indeed,notonecountryproducesascoreunder5outof10.

Itshouldalsobenotedthatthebulkofopinions

canbefoundinthemedianrangebetween5and7.Thelow-costmarketisneithershunnednorvery

popular(Fig.6).

Withanaveragescoreof

6.5/10,theimagepeople

haveofthelow-costmodel

isnomorenegativethan

itispositive.

L’ObservatoireCetelem

2023

Fig.6

Doyouhaveapositiveornegativeimageoflow-costproductsandservices?

Scorefrom1to10

15-COUNTRYAVERAGE

6.5

6.2

Germany

Austria

5.8

Belgium

6.0

Bulgaria

6.3

Spain

6.8

France

5.9

Hungary

6.5

Italy

6.9

Poland

6.5

Portugal

6.8

CzechRep.

6.3

Romania

7.3

United

Kingdom

6.5

Slovakia

6.5

6.9

Sweden

Source:L’ObservatoireCetelem2023

1617

Thisimpressionthatpeoplefeelsomewhat

ambivalentisreflectedinthevaluestheyassociatewiththelow-costconcept.FormostoftheitemsonwhichEuropeanswereaskedfortheiropinion,thereisaroughlyequalshareofpositiveandnegative

responses.58%ofconsumersbelievethatlow-costcompaniesrespecthumanrights,while42%believetheopposite.55%believethesefirmsareintune

withtheirownethicalvalues,while45%donot.Theissuesofenvironmentalfriendlinessandfairpayfor

bothstaffandsuppliersalsosplittheindividuals

surveyedalmostequally(53%and47%).Andagainthereisnearparityonthetopicsofemployment

andtransparencyregardingthemanufactureof

products(Fig.7).Whilepeople’sopinionsonthe

thelow-costmarket’svaluesarenotespecially

negative,theydoseemtoindicatethatthereis

somescopefortheconcepttoevolvebyembracingpracticesthataremoreinlinewithcurrenttrendsandconsumerexpectations.

Fig.7

Wouldyousaythatlow-costcompanies...

Toallrespondents,in%.

Yes,absolutelyYes,somewhat

No,notparticularlyNo,notatall

Respecthumanrights

44

5842

Arealignedwithyourvalues/morals

5545

Paysuppliersandemployeesafairrate

5347

Seektogrowwhilerespectingtheenvironment

5347

Areconcernedwithemploymentissues

5248

14

34

8

13

42

36

9

13

40

38

9

13

40

37

10

13

39

38

10

Aretransparentabouttherawmaterialstheyuseandhowtheirproductsaremade

5149

12393910

Source:L’ObservatoireCetelem2023

Sectors

andbrands:adominanttriumvirate

CLOTHING,FOODANDAIRTRAVEL:TOPOFTHELOW-COSTTREE

Whilethelow-costconcepthasgraduallyspread

toallsectors,threeinparticularhavegrownto

embodytheconceptmorepowerfully.Clothing,

foodandairtravelarethethreesectorsmost

synonymouswithlow-costproducts,accordingto

66%,62%and58%ofEuropeans,respectively.In

fourthplaceismobiletelephony,whichreflectshowsuccessfuloperatorshavebeenindevelopinglow-

L’ObservatoireCetelem

2023

CW

S

costofferingsinwhatisoftenahighlycompetitivefield.Conversely,thecarindustry,amarketinwhichDacia’ssuccesscausedsomethingofaparadigm

shift,israrelyassociatedwiththelow-costconcept(39%).Thesamegoesforbanks,despitethe

emergenceofasubstantialonlinemarket,aswell

asenergy,asectorthathasrecentlybeenopenedtocompetitioninanumberofcountries(Fig.8).

1819

L’ObservatoireCetelem

2023

Fig.8

Inyourcountry,wouldyousaythatthemarketforlow-costproductsandservicesiswelldevelopedineachofthefollowingsectors?

In%.

NotparticularlywelldevelopedNotwelldevelopedatall

VerywelldevelopedQuitewelldeveloped

Clothingandtextiles

6634

Foodretailers

46

62

38

Airtravel

42

31

58

42

Mobilephoneoperators

40

36

53

47

Householdappliances

40

40

51

49

Furniture

40

39

51

49

Hotelsandaccommodation

38

40

48

52

Digitaldevices(computers,smartphones,tablets,etc.)

36

41

47

53

GardeningandDIY

37

43

46

54

Rail,busorcoachtravel

34

41

44

56

Cars

29

44

39

61

Banks

29

41

39

61

1848277

16

308

16

11

13

11

11

9

11

10

10

12

11

12

9

11

10

15

10

17

10

20

3664

Energysuppliers

8284222

Source:L’ObservatoireCetelem2023

LIDL,RYANAIRANDALDI:ARENOWNEDTRIO

Thus,threesectorsstandout,butsodothreebrands.Lidltopsthelist,havingbeencitedspontaneously

by16%ofEuropeans,followedbyRyanair,thebrandthatrevolutionizedtheairlineindustry,andAldi,

thefirstestablishedretailertotakethelow-cost

route(Fig.9).Butalthoughthesethreebrandshaveatrulyinternationalreach,ageographicalanalysis

highlightscertainparticularitiesspecifictoeachcountry.Poland’sBiendronka,forexample,isadecidedlylocallow-costphenomenon(Fig.10).

Fig.9

Canyouname3brandsorcompaniesthatyouthinkbestepitomisethelow-costconcept?

In%ofspontaneousanswers.Top5.

Lidl

16

Ryanair

14

Aldi

11

EasyJet

7

Primark

4

Source:L’ObservatoireCetelem2023

Fig.10

Canyouname3brandsorcompaniesthatyouthinkbestepitomisethelow-costconcept?

Mostcommonlynamedbrandineachcountry.

idl

Sweden

Germany

Poland

Belgium

Aldi

Biedronka

UnitedKingdom

CzechRep.

Aldi

Ryanair

Ryanair

Ryanair

Slovakia

Tesco

Hofer

idl

WizzAir

Romania

France

Ryanair

WizzAir

Austria

Bulgaria

Ryanair

Ryanair

Portugal

Hungary

SpainItaly

Source:L’ObservatoireCetelem2023

L’ObservatoireCetelem

2023

Fig.11/Context

Europe’sbiggestlow-costbrands

COUNTRY/SECTOR

FOOD

DIY

FURNITURE/INTERIORDESIGN

AIRTRAVEL

Germany

Lidl

Aldi

Penny

Netto

Kaufland

Bauhaus

Action

Ebay

Hema

KiK

NKD

Ikea

Germanwings

AirBerlin

EasyJet

Ryanair

Eurowings

Austria

Hofer

Norma

Lidl

Bauhaus

Action

Ebay

Willhaben

Wizz

Ryanair

EasyJet

Eurowings

Vueling

Transavia

Jet2

Belgium

LidlAldiPenny

BricoPlanit

BricoDép?t

Mr.Bricolage

HUBO

Action

2ememain

Hema

LaFoir’Fouille

Ikea

Gifi

TransaviaRyanair IberiaBlueAir

Vueling

EasyJet

AirArabia

Bulgaria

Lidl

Penny

Kaufland

Mr.Bricolage

Wizz

Ryanair

Transavia

Jet2

Spain

Aldi

Lidl

Mere

Dia

Primaprix

Bauhaus

Mr.BricolageBricoDép?t

Action

Gifi

Hema

Vueling

IberiaExpress

Volotea

Ryanair

EasyJet

AerLingus

Transavia

Germanwings

Tuifly

France

Lidl

Action

Aldi

Gifi

EasyJet

Supeco

Ed

Costco

BricoDép?tBricoman

Hema

Costco

Leboncoin

TransaviaRyanairVueling

Netto

Ikea

Volotea

Primaprix

Normal

Hungary

AldiLidlCoop

Bauhaus

Wizz

Ryanair

EasyJet

Vueling

Jet2

Source:C-Ways

2021

Asimpleoffering

LOWPRICESANDREDUCEDSERVICES

Low-costofferingsaremarketedbypowerful

specialistbrandsandenjoyastrongpresencein

threekeysectors,butdoesthatmeantheyarewellregardedbyEuropeans?Theanswerisaresoundingyes.Theoverallimagethatjustover8outof10

consumershaveofsuchofferingsreflectstheideathatthesecompaniesfocusonkeepingpricesas

lowaspossible,whileprovidingservicesthatare

strippeddowntotheessentials.Ultimately,thisisthe“dictionarydefinition”ofthelow-costapproach.

Almostasmanyassociatelow-costofferings

withcompaniesthatspecialiseinthisapproach.

Moreinterestingly,asimilarnumberofEuropeansassociatetheconceptwiththelow-costofferings

of“traditional”brandsthathavechosentodevelopproductsandservicesspecificallyforthismarket,insomecasessellingthemthroughspecialist

subsidiaries(Fig.12).Thisresultsuggeststhatthesectorisnotsolelythepreserveof“pureplays”,

butthatitisopenandconstantlyevolving,offeringopportunitiestobrandswhoserootsareelsewhere.Fromageographicalperspective,respondentsfromMediterraneancountriesareagainthemostvocalontheseissues.

L’ObservatoireCetelem

2023

Fig.11/Context(continued)

Europe’sbiggestlow-costbrands

COUNTRY/SECTOR

FOOD

DIY

FURNITURE/INTERIORDESIGN

AIRTRAVEL

Italy

Aldi

Lidl

Penny

EuroSpinIN’sMercatoMDdiscount

Bricocenter

ActionGifiIkea

Volotea

EasyJetBlueAirVueling

Ryanair

Wizz

Transavia

Poland

KauflandAldi

Lidl

ActionIkea

Wizz

Smartwings

Vueling

Ryanair

EasyJet

Norwegian.no

Portugal

AldiLidl

BricoDép?t

EasyJet

Vueling

BlueAir

Eurowings

Ryanair

Iberia

Transavia

Norwegian.no

AirArabia

CzechRep.

Lidl

Penny

Kaufland

Bauhaus

Ikea

Romania

Cora

Lidl

Mere

Kaufland

Penny

Mr.BricolageBricoDép?t

WizzBlueAirRyanairVueling

United

Kingdom

Lidl

Aldi

B&M(retail)

Poundland

Poundstretcher

GumtreeHema Ikea

Smartwings

EasyJet

Ryanair

Germanwings

Wizz

Norwegian.no

Jet2

Vueling

AirEuropa

Transavia

Slovakia

KauflandLidl

Bauhaus

Ikea

EasyJetRyanair

Sweden

NettoLidl

Bauhaus

Ikea

Wizz

Eurowings

EasyJet

BlueAir

Ryanair

AirArabia

Norwegian.no

Vueling

Source:C-Ways

2223

2425

L’ObservatoireCetelem

2023

Marketedbypowerfulspecialistbrands,low-costproduct

Reducingproductstotheessentialsandeliminatinganythingthatisnon-essential(packaging,optionalextras,etc.)

59

20

7723

Easytoidentify

57

23

7327

Unbrandedproductsandservices

54

23

7228

Productsandservicesthatofferinexpensiveoptionalextras

57

24

7129

Awiderangeofproductsandservices

52

29

6634

Alevelofqualitycomparabletothatoftraditionalproducts/services

46

34

5842

Anegativeimpactontheenvironment

39

40

5050

Disappointingoncepurchased

39