What is the top seller of convenience stores?

MANILA, Philippines – Food, particularly ice cream, comprise the bulk of convenience stores’ fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) top sales, a Kantar Worldpanel study showed.

The study revealed Friday, April 10, that food items are the most bought from convenience store FMCG items at 59.3% as of January 2015, from 58.8% in the same period last year.

This was followed by beverages at 23.8% from 25.6% in January 2014 and personal care products at 13.5% from 11.3% in the same period last year.

“While Filipinos spend the most amount of money for food purchases, the personal care category experienced the biggest growth at 2.2% compared to 2014’s figures,” Kantar Worldpanel study cited.

Household care sales, meanwhile, grew slightly to 4.3% in January 2015 from 3.5% in the same period in 2014.

Top bought items

Eight of top 10 selling FMCG categories in convenience stores are food, the Kantar study show.

Filipinos’ top 4 food purchases remain the same – ice cream, total milk, snacks, and alcoholic beverages.

New items have emerged in the list such as diapers, water, and fabric cleaners.

Respondents in this year’s study dropped coffee and hair care products from their convenience store shopping basket, Kantar said.

Top 10 FMCG categories in January 2014 (based on value sales in absolute peso):

1. Ice cream
2. Total milk
3. Snacks
4. Alcoholic beverages
5. Biscuits
6. Soft drink
7. Total coffee
8. Total juice
9. Hair care
10. Sports/energy drink

Top 10 FMCG categories in January 2015 (based on value sales in absolute peso):

1. Ice cream
2. Total milk
3. Snacks
4. Alcoholic beverages
5. Diaper
6. Biscuits
7. Soft drink
8. Water
9. Fabric cleaning
10. Total Juice

The FMCG sales convenience stores are rising rapidly, showing a 45% increase in convenience store purchases from January 2014 to January 2015.

Fastest growing retail channel

The study also showed that based on the tracked shopping behavior of 3,000 Filipino homes in urban and rural areas in the country, 18.5% of Filipino homes are now buying in convenience stores, from 16.1% in 2014.

This increase in the number of customers translates to an additional 566,991 families buying goods from convenience stores like 7-Eleven, Mini Stop, and Family Mart, which have one to two check-out counters and are operational 24 hours a day.

Kantar Worldpanel also noted that the convenience store channel is the fastest growing retail channel in the Philippines at 45%, followed by direct sales at 31%, and drug stores, 11%.

A majority of convenience store buyers are from the National Capital Region, South Luzon, and Mindanao, from classes ABC and E urban households that are typically comprised of older homes with residents aged 13 and above.

Among all the regions, NCR has the most buyers, with 34% of homes purchasing goods from convenience stores.

However, the biggest spenders are found to be living in Mindanao, with buyers in this area shopping in convenience stores 9 times a year versus NCR residents who purchase from convenience stores only 5 times yearly.

“We anticipate this trend in the convenience store segment to persist in the advent of fast-paced and more demanding lifestyles of consumers,” said Lourdes Deocareza, new business development head for Kantar Worldpanel.

Kantar Worldpanel provides consumer knowledge and insights based on continuous consumer panels and has 60 years of experience. – Rappler.com