Greater preference for private brands, less use of cash and fewer purchases but in higher volumes, are some of the characteristics of current consumer behavior when it comes to demanding mass consumption products.
In this new business scenario, market research companies continue to focus on understanding the new consumption habits of people in all countries in the region.
Due to changes in people's habits, energy consumption in commercial establishments, offices and industrial complexes has decreased, contrasting with the rise in demand in residential areas.
The quarantines and restrictions on mobility that Central America has experienced due to the covid-19 outbreak and the latent risk of contagion, has caused radical changes in the region's electricity market.
Because in today's business reality many people prefer to spend more time at home and cook their own food, the demand for easy-to-prepare processed seafood has grown.
At a global level, changes in consumer behavior have been reported, because of the quarantines decreed in several countries of the world by the outbreak of covid-19, people's habits, tastes and preferences have been changing.
With the accelerated arrival of the new commercial reality, consumers no longer divide the world between the physical and the digital, since now the purchasing processes are a constant succession that combines both aspects.
Due to the transformation of consumer habits that had been occurring since before the covid-19 crisis and that has now accelerated, companies are focusing on understanding how people decide on the purchases they make.
Although public places have been closed for most of the year, in Central America for the quarantine period the demand for soft drinks, beer and snacks did not contract, as families increased consumption from their homes.
Soda, beer and snacks were no longer consumed in restaurants, movie theaters, stadiums and other similar spaces, but, due to the confinement measures decreed because of the covid-19 outbreak, demand shifted from public places to homes.
In the last few months, the interest in wine in the digital environment has been increasing, a rise that can be explained by the behavior of consumers in all markets of the region.
Through a system that monitors in real time the changes in the interests and preferences of the consumers in the countries of Central America, developed by CentralAmericaData, it is possible to project trends of demand in the short and long term, for the different products, sectors and markets that operate in the region.
Although in Central America the period of mandatory confinement has been exceeded, it is still a priority for consumers in the region to spend their free time in their homes and to devote themselves to household cleaning and home cooking.
It has been six months since the first cases of covid-19 were detected in the region. When the outbreaks began, governments chose to subject consumers to strict household quarantines, a measure that affected not only the economy but also people's behavior in the medium term.
Due to the drop in economic activity generated by the covid-19 crisis, a 7.9% reduction in domestic electricity consumption was reported in the region between March and June 2020, when compared to the levels of the same period in 2019.
Regarding the reduction of internal consumption of electricity in the countries from March to June 2020, we have that Guatemala had a drop in its demand of 239 GWh (Gigawatt hours), which corresponds to 6.6% compared to the consumption of electricity in 2019, in the case of El Salvador with a reduction of 335 GWh, equivalent to 15.4%, says a report from the Regional Operating Agency (EOR).
Reduction in advertising and marketing budgets in companies and an increase in the preference for investment in television campaigns are part of the changes that are being reported in the context of the new commercial reality.
Radical changes in the ways people relate to each other, new consumer habits and the home confinement decreed by the pandemic have led to a transformation in the advertising sector.
In the first half of the year, interest in bicycle accessories reported a clear upturn in the region's markets, with Guatemala, Costa Rica and El Salvador being the countries that recorded the greatest increase in interactions associated with the topic on the Internet.
Through a system monitoring in real time changes in consumer interests and preferences in Central American countries, developed by the Trade Intelligence Unit of CentralAmericaData, it is possible to project short and long term demand trends for the different products, sectors and markets operating in the region.
Because the Costa Rican Assembly is discussing a bill that seeks to give municipalities the power to declare a dry law in their jurisdiction due to a national emergency, hotels, restaurants and tourist establishments are asking to be exempted from the rule.
The Legislative Plenary approved in first debate the file 21,281 Law to restrict the commercialization of drinks with alcohol content in sports activities and shows, this after the initiative had to be taken back to first debate to amend some details that the deputies considered necessary, informed the Assembly on July 16.
During the next few months, it is estimated that sales of lotions and perfumes in the Salvadoran market will decrease by about 6%, compared to the levels reported before the crisis.
Greater interest in electronic accessories and construction tools for home use are some of the changes that are evident among Guatemalans in the new commercial reality.
Through a system that monitors in real time changes in consumer interests and preferences in Central American countries, developed by CentralAmericaData, it is possible to project short and long term demand trends for the different products, sectors and markets operating in the region.
Due to the reduction in office work and the increase in teleworking, Costa Rican toasters estimate that the local market demand for the beverage has contracted between 15% and 20%, when compared to sales levels prior to the beginning of the health crisis.
With the spread of covid-19 several companies and public institutions, which were able to accommodate their employees' work in the form of teleworking, stopped buying coffee for consumption in the offices.
Increased interest in all-terrain vehicles, pet food and hygiene items are some of the changes that are evident among consumers in this new commercial reality.
Through a system that monitors changes in consumer interests and preferences in Central American countries in real time, developed by CentralAmericaData, it is possible to project short and long term demand trends for the different products, sectors and markets that operate in the region.