Most British shoppers are more attracted to ideas like self-sufficiency and achieving a zero-waste household than using modern technology to help them shop and live their lives in the future, according to new research.

According to food research house IGD, 69% of shoppers would like their household to become zero-waste, with half of those (36%) already claiming to be close to achieving it.

52% would like to abandon their cars and do all of their food shopping on foot, and half of those (24%) claim they already do so.

49% would like to produce as much of their own food as possible, and within that, 15% of the total claim to be doing so already.

Conversely, technological advances have yet to take off. 80% can’t imagine or would strongly resist using a mobile phone to link up with other shoppers to benefit from bulk discounts. Only 18% could see themselves using a mobile phone to compare prices while in store.

However, 7% say they regularly buy their groceries online, with a further 9% saying they would like to in the future.

IGD chief executive Joanne Denney-Finch said: “While a third of shoppers tell us they have a web-enhanced smart phone, it seems that when it comes to shopping for food and groceries many prefer a ‘simple life’ for the moment. But it’s early days for a lot of this new technology, and it may be these very developments that deliver the simple life that shoppers crave in the future.”