The Asia-Pacific retail landscape is uniquely diverse and bountiful, offering consumers an array of wet and open market options that feature fresh foods delivered direct from the source. It therefore comes as no surprise that fresh foods contribute more than half of the food, grocery and personal care spending in most Asian countries, largely because many consumers shop daily for their meals. The percentage is even higher in Vietnam, where fresh constitutes 64 percent of spending.
The findings come from the Nielsen Global Survey of Fresh Foods, which surveyed more than 29,000 respondents with Internet access from 58 countries.
When it comes to shopping for fresh meat, fish and produce, wet and open markets are the most popular destinations in the region among all consumers, but supermarkets are growing in importance among the modern trade shopper. Notably, one-third of Asia-Pacific Internet respondents in the Nielsen survey, which skews to a more affluent, educated and younger demographic, favor modern trade supermarkets. The convenience of supermarkets and hypermarkets make them the stores of choice for buying dairy products, and the bakery is the top shop for bread and baked goods.
“While modern trade fresh food shoppers are motivated by freshness and convenience, their view of these attributes are different than a traditional shopper,” said Peter Gale, managing director of Retailer Services, Nielsen Asia-Pacific and Middle East. “Freshness relates to cleanliness and food safety and the belief that they can trust the quality of the product. Convenience is about one-stop shopping rather than location.”
“As Asian retailers evolve from wet markets to modern trade to specialty stores, keep it fresh and maintain the integrity of the wet market feel,” said Gale. “Ensure high quality standards and effectively communicate the importance of food safety.”
Other notable findings include:
For more detail and insight, download Nielsen’s Global Fresh Foods Sentiment Report.