9 products Filipinos can’t live without

MUST-HAVES. A survey shows products that Filipinos can and cannot do without. Grocery cart image via Shutterstock.

MANILA, Philippines – It doesn’t matter how rich or poor Filipinos are. They cannot live without toiletries.

The Consumer Coping Behavior Survey of research firm Social Weather Stations (SWS) showed that Filipinos consider toiletries a staple, or a product they cannot live without, or consider as absolutely necessary.

In a briefing on the survey results and insights, SWS director and marketing professor Ned Roberto revealed the top must-haves of Filipinos in different areas of the country:

For NCR, the top brands for bath soap are Safeguard, Palmolive, and Dove. For detergent, it’s Tide, Surf, and Champion.

Top brands for toothpaste are Colgate, Close Up, and Hapee.

Items Filipinos can do without

Roberto said the survey results listed a total of 159 products and classified them according to (a) staple (b) near-staple (c) nice to have (d) near-dispensable (e) definitely dispensable.

Products that are considered near-staple include those items that are necessary, but had some non-users. Roberto said there are around 10% or more that do not use products such as:
Deodorant – 29%
Prepaid cellphone – 19%
Conditioner, Sanitary napkin, & Headache medicine – 18%
Dried fish or Tuyo – 17%
LPG – 10%

The nice-to-have products include those that more than 30% do not use.

For NCR, products that had high numbers of non-users were:
Feminine wash & pantyliner – 41%
Powdered fruit juice – 35%
Cough/cold medicine & vitamins – 34
Baby oil & butter – 32%
Powdered chocolate drink – 30%

The presentation explained that near-dispensable items are those that people can do without. This means, there are more non-users than users.

For NCR, the items with the highest number of non-users are:
Landline phone subscriptions & loans – 71%
Internet subscriptions at home – 70%
5 gallon water & visits to specialist doctors – 63%
Disposable baby diapers – 61%
Ready to drink Iced Tea – 60%
Powdered filled milk for kids, single ice cream, spaghetti sauce, & roasted chicken – 35%
Tomato sauce – 33%

Roberto said the bulk of the 159 products that the SWS included in the survey were regarded as definitely dispensable or products that Filipinos consider they can live without.

For NCR, the highest number of non-users were for items such as:
Disposable adult diapers – 93%
Denture care products & paluwagan – 92%
Therapeutic toothpaste for sensitive teeth & gum care – 91%
Canned mixed fruits – 48%
Canned pineapple tidbits/chunks – 47%
Macaroni – 43%

Roberto explained that many of these definitely dispensable products relate to a small percentage of the population such as those who are old and senile who require adult diapers, as well as those with certain conditions, like those requiring dentures.

But, Roberto said, there are products that are considered definitely dispensable where companies can grow their brands or markets. These products include those that have 20% to a little over 30% who do not these products.

What this means to business

With these insights, Roberto addressed the entrepreneurs and marketing practitioners in the audience: “The ultimate source of growing your business is not new or innovative products, but market segments.”

He spoke about the importance of market research, especially in looking for opportunities among “non-users located in Balance Luzon.”

He urged them to search for opportunities for expansion by asking “What is MADI,” referring to “Missing, Annoying, Disappointing, Irritating.”

He also spoke about getting the company’s internal processes atuned to the needs of the target markets. He said companies’ marketing managers must focus on “customer retention” and “re-acquisition.”

The respondents of the survey, conducted via interviews during the 3rd quarter of 2012, were household consumers. –Cai Ordinario, Rappler.com