South Africans are shopping smarter than ever — balancing tight budgets, trusted brands, and a growing willingness to go the extra mile for the products they love. But what truly shapes their purchase decisions? To understand where consumers spend most often and which brands they remain loyal to, Field Agent South Africa surveyed shopping frequency, brand interactions, and the motivations behind choosing (or actively seeking out) certain products.
From grocery aisles to lifestyle and fashion brands, the results reveal a shopper who is discerning, convenience-driven, and highly attuned to value and quality. In a crowded retail landscape, a defining question emerges: which brands matter enough for consumers to actively search for them — and why?
If you’re a brand or retailer looking to turn insights into action, now is the time to discover what moves South African shoppers — and how Field Agent SA can help your business win at retail.
Before examining brand loyalty and product-specific motivations, it’s important to understand where South Africans spend the bulk of their everyday purchasing power. Which categories dominate the monthly basket?
The data shows a clear preference toward essentials that fulfil fundamental needs.
Shopping Frequency by Category
What this tells us:
Food and beverages overwhelmingly dominate shopping behaviour, reflecting the centrality of daily consumption needs and rising cost-of-living pressures. Household goods and personal care follow distantly, highlighting deliberate, need-based purchasing rather than impulse buying. Clothing and snacks sit at the bottom, suggesting that non-essential purchases remain secondary to core necessities. Brands competing in the food and household categories have the greatest opportunity to drive recurring purchases and long-term loyalty.
To understand everyday influence, we asked shoppers whether they had purchased from or shopped at a list of well-known brands in the past six months. The responses highlight strong penetration from both multinational FMCG giants and popular lifestyle brands.
Brands Purchased in the Last 6 Months
What this tells us:
Food and beverage brands dominate recent purchases, with Coca-Cola, Kellogg's, and Lay’s leading through deep distribution and everyday relevance. Personal care and global fashion labels appear in smaller proportions, reflecting less frequent purchase cycles but still meaningful brand recognition. The presence of both FMCG and apparel brands shows the blended nature of today’s consumer journey — one shopper may buy Coca-Cola weekly and Nike every few months, but both interactions help shape lasting brand affinity.
After identifying which brands consumers recently purchased, we examined how often they shop or repurchase. The majority of interactions happen monthly or more frequently.
Purchase Frequency
What this tells us:
Over half of consumers (51%) purchase from these brands at least monthly, showing strong habitual engagement. A further 33% shop even more frequently, reinforcing the importance of product availability, consistency, and distribution. Brands that maintain visibility and on-shelf presence are best positioned to earn recurring purchases — especially in the high-frequency FMCG space.
Value perceptions strongly influence whether a shopper remains loyal or switches to a competitor. We asked respondents to rate the brands they selected on a scale of 1–5.
Value-for-Price Ratings
What this tells us:
A striking 87% of respondents rate the brands they buy as a 4 or 5 for value — an extremely high confidence signal. Consumers feel they are getting strong quality relative to price, which directly supports repeat purchases. The near absence of low ratings suggests that shoppers gravitate toward trusted, predictable brands that deliver consistent satisfaction.
Availability matters — but do consumers actively search for products when their preferred brand isn’t in stock?
Would You Look Elsewhere for a Specific Product?
What this tells us:
An overwhelming majority are willing to switch stores or search online to find a specific product. This indicates strong brand affinity but also signals potential lost sales for retailers who fail to maintain stock consistency. When 83% of shoppers are willing to take extra steps, it’s clear that availability gaps can quickly result in channel leakage.
We then asked respondents which brands they would actively search for if unavailable. The results span fashion, beverages, snacks, and personal care, showing the diverse nature of brand loyalty.
Brands Consumers Will Go Out of Their Way For
What this tells us:
Fashion brands (Adidas, Nike) hold the strongest “search loyalty”, driven by high emotional connection and style-specific product demand. Meanwhile, FMCG brands like Coca-Cola, Lay’s, and Kellogg’s draw loyalty through taste preference and consistent quality. Personal care brands such as Nivea Men and Colgate-Palmolive show practical loyalty based on trust and reliability. This spread highlights that brand equity extends far beyond price — emotional relevance, product trust, and category dominance all matter.
To understand the psychology behind loyalty-driven behaviour, we asked consumers why they would seek out a product from a specific brand.
Top Motivations
What this tells us:
Quality is the dominant force driving active search behaviour. Over one-third of consumers will go out of their way purely because the brand offers superior quality. Past positive experiences also play a major role, reinforcing the idea that consistency builds loyalty. Niche product exclusivity (12%) and brand identity (6–5%) show that emotional and functional ties work together to shape brand stickiness.
South African shoppers know what they want: consistent quality, reliable availability, and real value. They’ll switch stores, search online, or even go out of their way for brands that meet their expectations. For businesses, this means loyalty isn’t automatic — it must be earned through trust, performance, and relevance.
Field Agent South Africa gives brands the tools to understand these behaviours in real time — from shopper insights and mystery audits to in-store visibility tracking. By acting on these insights, your business can stay ahead, retain customers, and make informed decisions that drive results.
Don’t wait for shoppers to leave — discover what drives them today; click on the button below:
Regards,
The Field Agent Team.