What products do BPO workers buy?

CUSTOMERS. Retailers watch out for consumption and lifestyle trends of Filipino workers in outsourcing companies. File photo by AFP

MANILA, Philippines – Want to sell to Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) employees? Try these: breakfast, booze, and gadgets.

Based on the Nielsen Outcall report, which provides a 360-degree view of BPO employees, the top items that call center employees buy include breakfast products, booze and the latest in mobile phone technology.

“Being well paid than most Filipinos, BPO employees are formidable members of the growing middle class population of the country. The spending habits of BPO employees reflect an affluence that is more than the general population, spurring consumer spending,” Nielsen Philippines managing director Stuart Jamieson said.

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Data showed that BPO employees consumed more breakfast cereals. Nielsen said many respondents prefer breakfast cereals because they are easy to consume in or outside of their home.

The report also showed that BPO employees consumer more hard candies, gum, biscuits and chocolates. These, the respondents attest, keeps them alert and awake during night shifts as well as full in between meals.

For breakfast and breaks, they consumed higher amounts of processed and pre-packed food. For dinner, some prefer pre-packed food while others opted to dine out.

The Outcall report also said BPO employees drink beverages such as iced tea, energy drinks, ready-to-drink juices and milk more frequently than most Filipinos. The respondents attest that this serves as their “daily indulgence” since these satisfy one or more of their consumer needs.

Alcohol drinks

There was also a higher consumption of alcoholic beverages among BPO employees. Data showed that 76% of BPO respondents admitted that they consumed alcoholic drinks in 2012 compared to 40% of the general population.

Nielsen said BPO employees considered alcohol as a facilitator in establishing teamwork. They claimed that for spontaneous or after-shift drinking, they buy alcoholic drinks from convenience stores and places open 24 hours.

“For a planned drinking session, they go to grills and watering holes. These planned drinking sessions happen usually on paydays when they have money to burn. BPO employees said that they also drink during their day-offs in their homes or neighborhoods,” Nielsen said.

Postpaid mobile phones

In terms to technology adoption, BPO consumers are more likely to own gadgets more than the general market. This is a strong indicator of the improving socio-economic class of BPO employees.

Compared to the general population, more BPO employees own postpaid subscriptions, with significantly higher monthly spending than the total market.

The in-depth interviews say that mobile phones are essential in their lives because it enables them to manage their busy work schedules and at the same time cope with maintaining their relationships with family and friends. They also use their mobile phones as a tool for entertainment to break the monotony of work days.

“By being constantly on their mobile phones and staying online through their high connectivity and multiple connection points, BPO consumers are more accessible via the Internet. BPO consumers live multi-screen lives. They watch TV while they have a tablet or mobile phone on hand,” Jamieson said.

“This gives advertisers and marketers huge opportunities to drive innovation and interest to various categories such as consumer goods, pharmaceutical products, telecommunications, and financial services,” he added. – Rappler.com