More Filipinos getting everyday meals from convenience stores

Filipino consumers have increasingly turned to more convenient food channels such as convenience stores to eat or buy ready-to-consume food and drinks, thanks to an environment of denser urbanization, faster-paced lifestyles and challenging working hours.

This was according to international market research firm Nielsen, which noted that consumption patterns of food and beverage are rapidly changing because of the growing complexity of consumers’ lives in urban areas.

In fact, Filipino consumers reveal that among their primary reasons for visiting convenience stores is to satisfy hunger or food cravings, according to the latest Nielsen Shopper Trends report.

Shopper Trends is a syndicated annual report that Nielsen conducts across 66 markets globally. It provides a comprehensive overview of retail environment trends and an understanding of shopping behavior across the different trade channels. It provides insights on where, when and how often people shop, and their emotional commitment and perceptions about key modern trade retailers.

“The consumers’ on-the-go lifestyle is leaving less time to prepare and cook meals at home and is driving consumers to satisfy their need to eat right away, anytime, anywhere,” Nielsen Philippines managing director Patrick Cua said in a statement.

The report noted that the prevalence of convenience stores made it one of the most accessible retail channels for purchasing ready-to-eat meals. Today, there are close to 4,500 convenience stores nationwide, with increasing expansion in the Visayas and Mindanao.

The report found that breads and sandwiches such as hotdog sandwiches, siopao and “tunapao,” rice meals, salty snacks or chips, bottled water and carbonated soft drinks are popular among patrons of convenience stores.

On the other hand, there are food and drinks that are increasing in popularity among convenience store customers. Among these are fried chicken, energy and sports drinks, chocolate powder mixes, three-in-one coffee mixes and ready-to-drink beverages such as milk or soymilk, and tea.

Favorites such as soft-served ice cream, salty snacks or chips, and bottled water are showing increasing appeal to convenience store shoppers year-on-year.

Notably, the purchase of ready-to-consume food and drinks during the day picks up during early afternoon, from 1-4 p.m., and peaks during late afternoon from 4-6 p.m. These are the hours when consumers take their afternoon snacks or when they buy ready-to-eat food items to consume while in transit or to bring home after getting off from school or work.

“As consumers spend more time working and commuting, we see on-the-go and prepared meals becoming more common,” Cua said. “As the demand for convenient options persists, the need for convenience store retailers and manufacturers to offer more customized solutions that can go beyond product offerings by providing an overall convenience experience is more critical than ever. Innovations in packaging, preparation, portability, ordering, payment and application technologies are some factors to consider in providing an overall convenience experience.”