UK supermarket sales have seen an uptick in sales over the last month, with total till growth reaching 4.7% in the four weeks ending 5 October, up from 4% the previous month.

This sales uplift comes as shoppers are adopting a new pattern of more frequent visits with smaller basket sizes.

The latest data from NIQ reveals that UK households are now shopping for groceries almost five times a week, visiting an average of eight different supermarkets. This shift in behaviour has led to smaller basket sizes, with the average value dropping to £18.62, 4% lower than last year.

Despite the decrease in basket size, there was 1.4% volume growth across UK supermarkets, indicating that consumers are buying more items in total through their increased number of visits.

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The introduction of seasonal products has helped drive sales, with retailers rolling out new Halloween and Christmas ranges. This has resulted in the return to growth of general merchandise (0.2%) for the first time in 12 months.

The cooler weather and return to school and university environments have also influenced supermarket sales patterns, with a 16% increase in cough, cold and flu medication sales, and a 10% rise in vitamins and dietary health products. However, there was weak performance in beer, wines, spirits and soft drinks.

Ocado remains the UK’s fastest-growing retailer, with sales surging 15.9% with Marks and Spencer securing second place with a 12.4% uplift. One in three households are now shopping at M&S for food and drink. 

Mike Watkins, NIQ’s UK head of retailer and business insight, said: “Retailers will be looking to the traditional advertising campaigns in a couple of weeks’ time to really get shoppers into shopping mode as a way to boost weekly sales in the final eight weeks of the Golden Quarter.”