MANILA – Accessibility, trust, and distance from home and driving consumer visits and loyalty to the top retailers in the country, according to a study by Kantar Worldpanel
In a survey of 2,000 urban homes nationwide, Kantar Worldpanel’s Smart Shopper 2015 study concluded that Filipino shoppers prioritize convenience and trust when it comes to their retailer of choice.
Accessibility refers to the convenience and ease in going to the store, while distance factors in proximity of the store to one’s home. Other attributes that consumers value include: satisfaction of needs, orderliness of the shelves, and store premises’ cleanliness and lighting, among others.
Mercury Drug, SM and Robinsons enjoy the highest consumer awareness according to the study. In particular, Mercury Drug stands out in terms of accessibility with 86% of consumers saying there is a branch near their home or office, with Puregold and SM following with 59% and 46% respectively.
However, while very few consumers (6%) considered Mercury Drug as the retailer they were going to visit the next time they shopped, more than 6 out of 10 consumers (64 percent) actually found themselves visiting the retailer.
According to Kantar, the key driver for increased visits to Mercury Drug is the consumers’ perceived convenience and accessibility of the store. Mercury Drug has about 1,000 branches nationwide and has more than 100 stores that are open for 24 hours.
Furthermore, 51% of shoppers considered shopping in Puregold, with 46 percent of shoppers actually visiting the retailer in the last 12 months. Similarly, 42 percent of shoppers said they would consider SM as a shopping destination, with 40 percent actually finding themselves in one of its stores in the past year.
“The Smart Shopper study of Kantar Worldpanel allows retailers to get to know their strengths and weaknesses in order to sustain or increase consumer visits and patronage. A better understanding of customer priorities would help boost the sales of retailers and improve their customer’s overall perception of their store,” said Lourdes Deocareza, New Business Development Head, Kantar Worldpanel Philippines.
