Mercury Drug is the retailer of choice for Filipino shoppers besting even industry giants SM, Robinsons and Puregold.
 
Accessibility or high visibility,  trust and distance from home are three of the most important considerations Filipino shoppers think of in choosing a retailer according to the Smart Shopper 2015 study conducted by Kantar Worldpanel, marketing industry tracker.
 
The Kantar study said Mercury Drug stands out in terms of accessibility with 86 percent of consumers saying there is a branch near their home or office. Puregold and SM follow with 59 percent and 46 percent, respective ly.
 
Kantar said many shoppers go to Mercury Drug because it is accessible and convenient to visit. Mercury Drug has about 1,000 branches nationwide and more than 100 stores that are open for 24 hours.
 
While very few consumers (6 percent) considered Mercury Drug as the retailer they were going to visit the next time they shopped, more than 6 out of 10 consumers (64 percent) actually found themselves visiting the retailer. Aside from drugs, Mercury sells food items and cosmetics.
 
The study also showed that while more shoppers (51 percent) think of visiting Puregold, only 46 percent do. In contrast, only 42 percent of shoppers said they would consider SM as a shopping destination, but a higher 40 percent  (compared with Puregold) actually do visit.
 
“The Smart Shopper study tells us what consumers think of the shopping destinations or retailers in the Philippines. The study also looks at the attributes that consumers use in determining where to go to buy their FMCG (fast moving consumer goods) needs,” said Lourdes Deocareza, New Business Development head of Kantar Worldpanel Philippines.
 
These top three attributes – accessibility, trust and distance – reflect how the Filipino shoppers prioritize convenience and trust when it comes to their retailer of choice.
 
Accessibility refers to the convenience and ease in going to the store, while distance factors in proximity of the store to one’s home. Other attributes that consumers value include satisfaction of needs, orderliness of the shelves, and store premises’ cleanliness and lighting, among others.
 
Data from Smart Shopper 2015 is based on a questionnaire Kantar Worldpanel administered across 2,000 urban homes nationwide.
 
In the same study, Kantar Worldpanel also measures the decision making process shoppers go through when choosing a retailer to patronize. These were measured in terms of awareness, proximity to one’s home or office, consideration for future visits and the probability a retailer will be the next shopping destination versus actual times consumers visited the stores in the last 12 months.
           
“The Smart Shopper study of Kantar Worldpanel allows retailers to get to know their strengths and weaknesses in order to sustain or increase consumer visits and patronage. A better understanding of customer priorities would help boost the sales of retailers and improve their customer’s overall perception of their store,” Deocareza said.