Pinoys prioritize hygiene over food during emergencies

By Tiziana Celine Piatos, Manila Times

September 27, 2022

FILIPINOS are more likely to buy personal care and hygiene products than food during disasters or emergencies, a study showed.

A research on Filipino shopping habits conducted by Packworks Sari IQ and which it shared with The Manila Times on Monday showed that 18 percent of the sales of sari-sari or small convenience stores is made up of hair care products.

Laundry supplies were the second most popular items, with 16 percent of sales.

Other purchases, which include oral care, body care, beverages and canned goods, came in third with 15 percent.

Breakfast items like tea, coffee and creamer came in fourth with 14 percent.

Cooking necessities followed at 13 percent, oats and cereals at 13 percent, and pasta and noodles at 11 percent.

Packworks Sari IQ said the research covered purchases in sari-sari stores in areas affected by the earthquake in Abra last June, the eruption of Taal Volcano in Batangas in March, and Typhoon "Odette" in Leyte in December 2021.

When the Abra earthquake struck, the volume of products in the hair care category spiked by more than 50 percent of sales during normal days.

During the Taal upheavals, sales of hair care products went up by more than 50 percent.

The purchasing priorities were different after Odette devastated Leyte. During that calamity, the sale of noodles and other cooking necessities soared by over 60 percent.

In normal times, hair care products come in last in terms of average consumer spending, second behind pasta and noodles at 15 percent.

"The Philippines is a regular target of natural disasters because of its location in the Pacific Ring of Fire. Residents at the epicenter opt to buy their immediate necessities from a nearby sari-sari store rather than go to big supermarkets," said Andres Montiel, Packworks' head of Data.

Montiel said it is highly helpful in tracking what items are considered as essential by consumers during natural disasters.

"This can be helpful in demand planning and product seasonality on the brand principal's end," he added.