Filipinos shop more often but make fewer purchases at a time — report

With more supermarkets opening near where they live, Filipinos are shopping more frequently and buying less in bulk than before, according to research firm Nielsen's Shopper Trends Report on Wednesday.

The survey found that Filipinos “replenished their pantries from three times a month to two times a month, while smaller but more frequent shopping trips were done seven times in a month up from three times in 2011.”

“The preference to these smaller but frequent shopping trips is brought about by the close proximity of the supermarkets to the homes,” Nielsen Philippines managing director Stuart Jamieson said in a statement.

The percentage of Filipinos who went to the supermarket twice a week rose to 39 percent in 2012 from 29 percent in 2011.

“We are seeing a move from buying additional essential items from the neighborhood sari-sari store to shopping in the supermarket, which is also now in the neighborhood,” said Jamieson.

The survey also found that buyers prefer shopping centers and supermarkets that are easily accessible from their homes via walking, jeepney or tricycle.

Monthly spending on food, grocery and personal care also increased by 8 percent in 2012 due largely to impulse buying, or buying items not on their shopping lists.

The survey was conducted in urban areas nationwide from Oct. 18 to Dec. 11, 2012. It had 1,922 respondents. — BM, GMA News