Emerging markets shoppers turn to web for deals

October 13, 2013 1:42 pm

Emerging markets shoppers turn to web for deals

By Scheherazade Daneshkhu, Consumer Industries Editor

Consumers with internet access in developing countries are just as likely to search for money-saving grocery deals to beat food price inflation as those in the developed world, according to a new report. The online survey* of 29,000 shoppers in 58 countries conducted by Nielsen, the global information company, showed many similarities in behaviour no matter where the consumer lives – but also striking differences.In the US, half of those who responded said they would stock up on sale items as a way of beating inflation compared to one-third in the Asia-Pacific region, possibly reflecting space and transport differences.

But social media plays a bigger role in developing countries. In South Africa and South Korea, 43 per cent said they would use social media to find online deals compared to 20 per cent in the US and 24 per cent in Canada.

Overall, 32 per cent of shoppers in developing countries said they would turn to the internet as a tool to beat food price inflation, only fractionally below the 33 per cent in developed economies.

Since the survey was based on respondents with online access, Nielsen said the results indicated that “consumers in developing regions actually outperformed those in developed markets for their intention to use online sources to search for deals”.

Food price inflation is the biggest concern of global food companies, according to Nielsen, given that prices are expected to double within 20 years because of rising demand as the world’s population increases.

More than 85 per cent of those surveyed said that higher food prices would force a change in their shopping habits. While most said they would continue to buy the same amount – or more – of cereals and rice, wheat and grains, the most vulnerable categories were sweets, snacks, ready meals and fizzy drinks.

Nielsen said there were big opportunities for own-label brands with the expansion of supermarket chains. In India, where Nielsen forecasts that supermarket sales will more than double in the next two years from $1.8bn to $5bn, private label sales grew by 22 per cent last year.

“Where private label is well established, the survey results showed their potential power during inflationary times,” the survey says. “In North America, almost half respondents (46 per cent) said they would shop for more private label brands when food prices increase.”

The report, to be published this week, also found that feeling cash-strapped was not necessarily linked to income. For example, the Middle East and Africa reported the highest percentage – 49 per cent – of households earning less than $5,000 a year, yet the 17 per cent who said they felt able to spend freely was also the highest.

The wealthiest region was North America, where 46 per cent of those surveyed earned $50,000 or more, yet reported the lowest percentage – 9 per cent – of those feeling able to spend freely.

*Nielsen Global Survey of Inflation Impact (conducted between February 18 and March 8, 2013)