Local consumers prefer ‘brick and mortar’ grocery experience

Local consumers prefer the traditional “brick and mortar” experience when it comes to shopping for grocery items, despite the growing trend of online shopping, research firm Nielsen revealed.

According to the latest Nielsen Shopper Trends Report, 93 percent of Filipinos prefer to conduct grocery shopping “in-store.” At the same time, eight in 10 prefer to take their time and browse all parts of the store when they shop.

“The love for shopping is alive among Filipinos. They find joy in going up and down the aisles to check out grocery items,” said Nielsen Philippines’ shopping insight unit head Lou-Ann Navalta. “Retailers can further intensify the in-store shopping experience by offering a pleasant store environment. When shoppers are at ease, they are likely to come back to the store.  This also makes them more receptive to in-store marketing efforts like promotions or impulse purchases.”

Shopper Trends is a syndicated annual report that Nielsen conducts across 54 markets globally. It provides an overview of retail environment trends and an understanding of shopping behavior across the different trade channels. Specifically, it provides insights on where, when and how often people shop, and their emotional commitment and perceptions about key modern trade retailers.

In contrast to grocery products, Filipino shoppers are avid users of online retail channels when it comes to purchasing non-consumable items, the survey found.

According to the latest Nielsen Global Survey of E-Commerce, Filipinos are increasingly going online to purchase travel services and tickets for events such as movies, live performances, exhibitions and sports games.

Fifty-five percent of Filipinos who go online intend to buy airline tickets or make reservations online within the next six months. Forty-six percent plan to make hotel reservations and 37 percent intend to purchase event tickets online.

Globally, Singaporeans have the highest online purchasing intention for airline tickets and hotel and tour reservations, and second highest globally for event tickets.

Digital consumers in the Philippines are among the most-inclined to purchase items online, along with Vietnamese and Singaporeans.

Indonesians, Malaysians and Thais, meanwhile, are more likely to go online to browse. Reading online reviews, product research and checking out products to inform their offline purchases rank among the main factors motivating Filipinos to go online to shop.

Credit card security remains a key concern across the region with five of the six Southeast Asia markets ranking above the global average with respect to their concern around providing credit card information online.