SHOPPERS with Internet access are the leading buyers of fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) by a wide margin, data analytics firm Kantar said.

It cited the findings of its Digital Shoppers for Brand Growth study, which covers the January 2016 to June 2019 period.

The FMCG segment includes packaged food and beverages, toiletries and other consumables.

The study sample was 3,000 households. It defined digital shoppers as those that have access to the internet.

Kantar said digital shoppers also spend more than non-digital shoppers. The study found that they spend an average of P38,000 every year on FMCG products, while non-digital shoppers averaged P31,000 each year.

Kantar said digital shoppers spent P461 billion in supermarkets and hypermarkets and other bricks-and-mortar establishments in 2018.

By the end of 2020, Kantar is projecting digital shoppers to increase their purchases by 25%.

“Digital technology is playing a huge role in the growth of the FMCG market today,” Kantar Philippines Expert Solutions Director Ledz Lim said in the statement, adding: “AI (artificial intelligence) tools are essential in helping companies make the right decisions as they analyze the best approach and strategies to take when reaching out to either online or offline customers.”

Kantar said FMCG brands must consider the use of artificial intelligence to study and predict consumer behavior via their Internet activity, and achieve balance between human and digital decision-making. — Denise A. Valdez

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