Supermarket tribes and the temple of Aldi: A comparison between the UK and Australia

Spanjaard, D; Freeman, L

Supermarket tribes and the temple of Aldi: A comparison between the UK and Australia

Spanjaard, D

Freeman, L

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Publisher:: SAGE PUBLICATIONS LTD
Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Journal of Consumer Culture, 2023, 23, (1), pp. 3-26
Issue Date:: 2023-02-01

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Spanjaard, D https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4021-368X
dc.contributor.author	Freeman, L
dc.date.accessioned	2024-03-09T02:31:47Z
dc.date.available	2024-03-09T02:31:47Z
dc.date.issued	2023-02-01
dc.identifier.citation	Journal of Consumer Culture, 2023, 23, (1), pp. 3-26
dc.identifier.issn	1469-5405
dc.identifier.issn	1741-2900
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/176398
dc.description.abstract	This research began as an investigation into consumer responses to the increasing number of supermarket own brands appearing in the grocery aisles of Australia when compared with the United Kingdom (UK) where retailer brands tend to dominate. Where the study ended was with the revelation of consumer ‘supermarket tribes’ and that this connectedness is linked to the consumption space as a way to endorse a lifestyle. We propose that the significance of spatial structure to ordinary practices, such as grocery shopping, may have been previously overlooked due to assumptions around its relative unimportance, when in fact this activity makes a valuable contribution to the culture of consumption. People do not always make economically rational decisions and instead support cultural theories that their lives are fashioned around the consumption experience, which ultimately contributes to their multiple realities. This study reveals that these realities can be made up of a series of fleeting moments as part of a grocery shop from which a perceived uniqueness, or not, is formed, and this is influenced by different market offerings. This was an unexpected outcome. Using a mix of focus groups and ethnographic data, we uncovered the presence of consumer tribes within the UK market, but which were not replicated in Australia. The exception to this was Aldi, where Australian shoppers revealed higher devotion to the store. This article contributes to theory by investigating the presence of consumer tribes for supermarket retailers where the number of different stores, and the type of customer interactions influence the likelihood of such a phenomenon to occur. This is a departure from the conventional retailer perspective and recognising this change to consumer expectations and consumption is important for retailer growth and improved market presence.
dc.language	English
dc.publisher	SAGE PUBLICATIONS LTD
dc.relation.ispartof	Journal of Consumer Culture
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1177/14695405211073080
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/closedAccess
dc.subject	1505 Marketing, 1608 Sociology, 2002 Cultural Studies
dc.subject.classification	Sociology
dc.subject.classification	3506 Marketing
dc.subject.classification	4410 Sociology
dc.title	Supermarket tribes and the temple of Aldi: A comparison between the UK and Australia
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	23
utslib.for	1505 Marketing
utslib.for	1608 Sociology
utslib.for	2002 Cultural Studies
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Business
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Business/Marketing Discipline
utslib.copyright.status	closed_access	*
dc.date.updated	2024-03-09T02:31:45Z
pubs.issue	1
pubs.publication-status	Published
pubs.volume	23
utslib.citation.issue	1

Abstract:

This research began as an investigation into consumer responses to the increasing number of supermarket own brands appearing in the grocery aisles of Australia when compared with the United Kingdom (UK) where retailer brands tend to dominate. Where the study ended was with the revelation of consumer ‘supermarket tribes’ and that this connectedness is linked to the consumption space as a way to endorse a lifestyle. We propose that the significance of spatial structure to ordinary practices, such as grocery shopping, may have been previously overlooked due to assumptions around its relative unimportance, when in fact this activity makes a valuable contribution to the culture of consumption. People do not always make economically rational decisions and instead support cultural theories that their lives are fashioned around the consumption experience, which ultimately contributes to their multiple realities. This study reveals that these realities can be made up of a series of fleeting moments as part of a grocery shop from which a perceived uniqueness, or not, is formed, and this is influenced by different market offerings. This was an unexpected outcome. Using a mix of focus groups and ethnographic data, we uncovered the presence of consumer tribes within the UK market, but which were not replicated in Australia. The exception to this was Aldi, where Australian shoppers revealed higher devotion to the store. This article contributes to theory by investigating the presence of consumer tribes for supermarket retailers where the number of different stores, and the type of customer interactions influence the likelihood of such a phenomenon to occur. This is a departure from the conventional retailer perspective and recognising this change to consumer expectations and consumption is important for retailer growth and improved market presence.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/176398