In all the 17 surveyed markets, a majority of consumers said their shopping habits have changed during the pandemic.
54% of UAE residents wanted to carry on using online shopping and delivery services even after the pandemic is over, according to YouGov’s FMCG Report 2021 .
YouGov’s ‘International FMCG Report 2021: Consumer goods in a crisis’ sheds light on consumers’ attitudes to fast moving/consumer packaged goods across 17 global markets. The white paper is based on more than 18,000 interviews and explores how the COVID-19 crisis has affected the FMCG/CPG sector worldwide across a range of categories.
In all the 17 surveyed markets, a majority of consumers said their shopping habits have changed during the pandemic. In the UAE, three quarters of residents made this claim, according to the report.
The research shows Covid-19 has not stopped people from visiting supermarkets. An average of 81% of consumers across the 17 markets in the study bought groceries or household essentials in-store in the month prior to being asked. However, a large proportion preferred the online medium to buy household items.
In the UAE, three-quarters (75%) bought items in-store amidst the pandemic, while nearly half made purchases online either through delivery or click & collect services.
Online delivery was much more popular than click and collect services in all the markets, except France. In the UAE, a 27-percentage point gap exists between consumers who get their shopping delivered to their doorsteps (38%) and those who pick it up (11%).
Although supermarkets remained a strong format during the pandemic, many people have pledged to support local retailers, perhaps due to the impact of the pandemic on the local businesses.
Across all 17 markets, three in five consumers (60%) said they intend to support local businesses and buy local products more once the pandemic has subsided. Beyond supporting local businesses, many global consumers are also considering doing more to help the planet.
In the UAE, nearly two-thirds claim to support local businesses (64%) and buy more sustainable products (66%) once the pandemic ends.
Impact on FMCG categories
The report data shows that during the pandemic consumers responded in different ways to different FMCG/CPG categories.
Across all 17 markets, 35% said they ate more fresh fruit and vegetables, while just 6% said they ate less.
In the UAE, people were eating more fresh food (58%), but consumption of junk food and chilled meals remained static.
Consumption of dairy items increased for two in five (39%) consumers (decreasing for 9%), while more people ate baked goods (35% increase vs. 13% decrease), food cupboard items (32% vs 15%) and frozen foods (31% vs 23%).
Globally, cosmetics appear to have particularly struggled during the crisis: 27% respondents across the 17 markets said they are buying fewer products in this category. In the UAE, the consumption decreased for 35% consumers, and only 18% increased their use of cosmetics.
Talking about the whitepaper, Imran Ahmed of YouGov said, “The COVID-19 pandemic has created both challenges and opportunities for brands operating within the broad FMCG sector. What they are consuming and how they are purchasing it have both seen shifts as a direct result of the ongoing pandemic with a clear focus on healthier options being consumed and a notable shift towards more remote purchasing options being opted for in the UAE. Whether these changes will be long-lasting or short-termed remains to be seen, as we enter the second year of the crisis but what is clear is that FMCG players would benefit from a better understanding of consumer sentiment in the categories they operate within, to be better prepared to address changing customer preferences.