How Canadian consumers of Chinese, South Asian and East Asian backgrounds compare with average Canadian shopper

 

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BRANDSPARK International this week announced the results of their 2014 BrandSpark Canadian Ethnic Shopper Study that surveyed more than 8,800 Canadians of Chinese, South Asian and East Asian backgrounds to reveal insights about shopping habits for every day products.

It reveals the consumer motivation behind every day purchasing decisions, as well as consumer attitudes about food and nutrition, health, media habits, the economy, the environment and new technology.

Highlights from the Ethnic Shopper Study are compared with highlights from the previously released 2014 BrandSpark Canadian Shopper Study, which surveyed more than 100,000 Canadians. The Canadian Ethnic Shopper Study was conducted between October and November 2013 with respondents aged 18 and older.

 

Value for money is the most important factor for Canada’s ethnic shoppers

 

Price is cited more often as the most important factor for the purchasing decision of Canada’s ethnic shoppers when compared to the general Canadian shopper. East Asians are most likely to say that price is the most important factor in their food purchase decisions, while South Asians are more likely than other shoppers to be concerned about price for over-the-counter health and household care products.

Price is the most important factor in my purchase decisions (Overall / Chinese / South Asian / East Asian):

Food & Beverage: 62% / 68% / 66% / 72%

Personal Care / Beauty: 52% / 56% / 57% / 55%

Household Care: 58% / 66% / 75% / 65%

Over-the-counter Health: 51% / 54% / 66% / 51%

 

South and East Asian shoppers are the most focused on brand names

 

South Asian and East Asian shoppers are most focused on obtaining their favourite brand regardless of price, while Chinese shoppers align with the general Canadian shopper, with just 10% saying they buy the best brands without much concern about the cost.

I buy the brands that I think are best and don’t worry much about price (Overall / Chinese / South Asian / East Asian):

10% / 10% / 21% / 17%

 

Word of mouth recommendations are bigger amongst Canada’s ethnic consumers

 

Chinese, South and East Asian shoppers share recommendations more often than the typical Canadian shopper.

If I get a deal on something I love to tell my friends and family about it (Overall / Chinese / South Asian / East Asian):

80% / 85% / 84% / 90%

 

Canada’s ethnic shoppers prefer the internet for nutritional information versus product labels

 

Sources of nutritional information differ for Canada’s ethnic shoppers with most obtaining nutritional information online, while product labels are the main source of nutritional information for the general Canadian shopper.

What are your top sources for nutritional information? (Overall / Chinese / South Asian / East Asian):

Internet web search: 39% / 41% / 47% / 42%

Product labels: 53% / 39% / 36% / 26%

 

Canada’s ethnic consumers value convenience when shopping for meals

 

Convenience remains more important to Chinese, South Asian, and East Asian shoppers, who are all more likely than the average shopper to eat pre-made frozen food and take-out meals.

In the past week, how many times did you do each of the following for dinner (% once or more) (Overall / Chinese / South Asian / East Asian):

Eat prepared frozen or packaged foods for dinner: 55% / 63% / 60% / 59%

Pick-up ready-to-eat meals for dinner from the grocery store: 32% / 54% / 48% / 46%

Get take-out from a restaurant: 35% / 48% / 56% / 53%

 

Walmart is the top shopping destination for South and East Asian consumers

 

Partly driven by where they reside in Canada, and partly by shopping habits and preferences, South and East Asians are significantly more likely to be frequent Walmart shoppers than the average Canadian, while Chinese shoppers are likely to shop elsewhere. Costco and T&T are particularly popular with Chinese shoppers, who are also more likely to do shopping online.

At which of the stores below do you shop MOST OFTEN for food & beverage products? (Overall / Chinese / South Asian / East Asian):

Walmart: 17% / 13% / 37% / 31%

Real Canadian SuperStore: 9% / 14% / 9% / 10%

No Frills: 9% / 13% / 19% / 13%

IGA: 7% / 1% / 0% / 1%

Maxi: 6% / 1% / 1% / 1%

Sobeys: 6% / 2% / 0% / 2%

Metro: 6% / 3% / 3% / 1%

Costco: 5% / 11% / 5% / 7%

Loblaws: 5% / 8% / 4% / 5%

T&T: 1% / 11% / 1% / 0%

Do you shop online? Yes: 62% / 71% / 65% / 60%

 

Canada’s ethnic consumers love high tech gadgets, with South Asian Canadians leading the pack in tablets

 

Ethnic shoppers have higher smartphone and tablet ownership rates than the national average.

Which of the following devices do you own? (Overall / Chinese / South Asian / East Asian):

Smartphone: 52% / 62% / 60% / 59%

Tablet: 36% / 44% / 45% / 43%

 

Online television is key to reaching Canada’s ethnic consumers

 

Canada’s ethnic consumers spend comparatively less time interacting with traditional media sources, particularly cable television, and more time consuming content through online video sites, such as YouTube or Netflix. This underscores the need for advertisers to adapt their media plans when looking to reach ethnic consumers.

In an average week, please indicate how many hours you spend interacting with each of the following? (Overall / Chinese / South Asian / East Asian):

Television via Cable, Antenna or Dish: 12.7 / 8.1 / 7.1 / 7.4

Radio (not online): 5.6 / 3.9 / 3.0 / 3.8

Social Media Sites: 4.8 / 4.7 / 5.0 / 4.1

Online Television: 3.4 / 5.2 / 6.2 / 4.9