Pinoys spend more on hygiene, self-care during disasters –study

Filipinos spend more on hygiene and self-care essentials during disasters or emergencies, according to a study by Philippine-based startup Packworks.

In a statement on Tuesday, Packworks - an enterprise resource planning platform - said its data analysis found that Filipinos purchased more shampoo and conditioner in sari-sari stores in the aftermath of Typhoon Odette in December 2021, the Taal volcanic eruption in March 2022, and the Abra earthquake in June 2022.

Packworks added that 18% of sari-sari stores’ sales went to hair care products.

Laundry supplies saw the second highest portion with 16% of sales.

Meanwhile, the “others” category, which included oral care, body care, beverages, and canned goods came in third with 15%.

Breakfast items like tea, coffee, and creamer placed fourth with 14%, followed by cooking necessities at 13%, oats and cereals at 13%, and pasta and noodles at 11%.

The startup also said that the hair-care category recorded a sharp increase of more than 50% in volume when an earthquake struck North Luzon compared to normal days.

Hair-care category sales also saw a spike of more than 50% during the period of the Taal Volcano unrest around the last week of March 2022.

However, Packworks said Filipinos shifted their spending priorities when Typhoon Odette hit Leyte.

Spending on noodles and cooking essentials increased to almost 60% in the area after the disaster.

“The Philippines is a regular target of natural disasters because of its location at 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.

“The analysis on the sari-sari stores becomes more valuable to track what items are deemed to be essential upon the occurrence of such natural disasters. This can be helpful in demand planning and product seasonality on the brand principal’s end,” added Montiel.

Packworks said its data sets were generated using its Sari IQ business intelligence tool that gives retailers data analytics on consumer behavior and spending habits of people in a locality who purchase their needs in sari-sari stores.

Data is generated from Packworks’ wide network of almost 200,000 sari-sari stores nationwide which contains insightful information on consumer spending and can be customized to create an analysis for sari-sari store categories that incur an uplift when compared to before a natural disaster occurs, it said. — DVM, GMA News