Food and beverage price promotions: perceptions of their impact on purchasing by Australian households

OBJECTIVE: Price promotions are widely used in supermarkets and are more commonly applied to less healthy foods and beverages. We aimed to examine how supermarket price promotions influence food and beverage purchasing among households with school-aged children in Australia, and how perceptions vary by income. DESIGN: A cross-sectional qualitative study using semi-structured interviews, analysed using thematic analysis. SETTING: Australia, within the supermarket retail food environment. PARTICIPANTS: Twenty-two parents or caregivers of school-aged children from households with differing income levels. RESULTS: Participants across income groups reported using supermarket price promotions as a budgeting strategy, particularly in the context of rising food costs. Price promotions were described as encouraging unplanned purchases, most often for unhealthy foods and beverages. Compared with higher income households, lower income households reported greater awareness of supermarket pricing strategies and more frequent purchasing of price-promoted products. Participants perceived that healthy options were less frequently discounted, and suggested that increasing promotions for healthy foods and beverages would better support healthy diets. CONCLUSIONS: Supermarket price promotions were perceived to shape purchasing decisions, often encouraging purchases of less healthy foods and beverages. Regulatory approaches that reduce promotions on less healthy products while improving the affordability of healthier options may support healthier and more equitable food environments, particularly for households experiencing financial constraints.