Persons over 40 years old, ‘house husbands,’ and children whose parents are working are emerging as new markets for consumer goods and services, ACNielsen Philippines said. 

Macho stereotypes aside, more Filipino husbands are staying at home to take care of the family. 

In an industry briefing for retail trends on Wednesday, ACNielsen Philippines Managing Director Benedicto L. Cid, Jr. said these new markets – created by lifestyle shifts – provide new opportunities for consumer products makers and service businesses.

The briefing, called Shop Talk: Giant Leaps for Small Stores, was conducted for manufacturers of fast-moving consumer goods and presented different directions that retail trade will likely take.

The above-40-years-old segment, Mr. Cid said, has become significant because of its growth. In 2005, the over-40 category made up 25% of the total Philippine population and by 2020, one in three Filipinos will be over 40 years old.

‘Most of them will still be far from retiring and many are approaching the peak of their earning capacity,’ Mr. Cid noted.

The wellness industry will likely benefit as ‘this is the age when comes the recognition of the need for wellness.’

‘Manufacturers are tapping this opportunity for new product introductions via niche marketing and well-focused communications. The mature market is broader than marketers originally made it to be,’ he added.

The growing number of house husbands also presents opportunities for manufacturers and services firms that can meet this segment’s needs, Mr. Cid said.

‘The number of house husbands has been growing at a rate of 3-4% a year [in the Philippines]. Most of them are in between jobs but there are others that have opted to take on the role of the homemaker because the wife earns more,’ he told BusinessWorld.

House husbands are also seen in households where the female spouse work abroad.

Companies that make it easier for men to take on this role would benefit. The likely range includes makers of partially-prepared food, restaurants offering take-out, makers of microwave ovens and oven toasters, and those that provide household help.

Another emerging market are children left alone in the house because both parents are working. ‘These kids will have to do things on their own, so they may order food or cook noodles,’ Mr. Cid said. 
 

This situation also creates a demand for night markets, as people who work only find time to buy food and other needs after office hours are over, he added.

ACNielsen noted that traditional retail formats are evolving, providing opportunities for manufacturers of fast moving consumer products.

ACNielsen Executive Director Gladys de Veyra said that sari-sari stores, which make up 90% of the retail format in the country, have been expanding their offerings to augment revenues.

Manufacturers, she said, must take advantage of this change.

‘The fastest moving products are those that are priced at P10 and below,’ she said, noting that manufacturers could consider coming up with smaller packages.

‘As they will want to earn surefire profit, retail outlets will want to sell only that which are primarily saleable and secondarily affordable.’

She noted, however, that market stalls – stores in public markets which do not sell fresh produce, rice, and similar goods – are dwindling in number as owners shift from fast-moving goods to slower-moving ones such as surplus clothing (ukay-ukay), baby products, and pirated digital versatile discs.

This shift, Mr. Cid said, is driven by the difficulty in competing with modern trade formats like groceries and supermarkets.

‘A reason for this divergence is that market stall owners are now hard-pressed to compete with the groceries and supermarkets that have sprung up nearby.

‘They all offer almost the same value for money that have been at the core of market stalls’ existence,’ he said.