Where Did Urban ASEAN Households Buy Groceries?
In Indonesia and Malaysia, some types of grocery stores are distinctly more popular than others, which is not the case in Thailand. Most Indonesians shopped at mom-and-pop stores, whereas Malaysians favour super- or hypermarkets.
Eight distinct types or clusters of grocery shopping behaviour exist in each country; not all behaviours are the same across countries. In fact, the largest group in each country displays unique grocery shopping preferences, as seen in the chart.
The largest consumer clusters in both Malaysia and Thailand make up more than a quarter of the urban population. On the other hand, Indonesia’s biggest cluster is approximately 18% of urban dwellers – just marginally larger than the remaining seven consumer clusters in the country. However, consider that approximately 55% of its population of almost 265 million live in urban areas, far more than the total populations of Malaysia and Thailand combined. [1].
The grocery shopping behaviours of these clusters reflect key differences in the development of consumer trade in these countries. Traditional trade is still a significant force in Indonesia, whereas Malaysians have become accustomed to the modern convenience of chain supermarkets and hypermarkets. The Thais straddle the mid-point of the spectrum, embracing both modern and traditional grocery shopping choices. The impact of modern trade is evident in the largest clusters – super and hypermarkets are a choice in all three largest clusters.
These findings on shopping behaviours are excerpt of Dattel’s report to uncover ‘hidden truths’ about the ASEAN consumers. If you are interested to know more about ASEAN consumers, click here to request for a digital copy of the report.