In the first week of April 2021, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Honduras, Dominican Republic and Guatemala were the countries in the region where the number of people visiting establishments identified as supermarkets was higher than the figures reported before the pandemic.
Over the course of the months and in the context of the reactivation of commercial activities, more Central American consumers have visited locations identified as supermarkets and pharmacies.
As a result of the pandemic, the consumer habits of Costa Ricans changed, a phenomenon that was evidenced in the forms of consumption of ice cream, which is now more frequently consumed in homes.
In the new commercial reality, the consumption of individual ice creams was considerably reduced and in the case of multipacks, sales increased. This change is due to the fact that nowadays people spend more time in their homes and prefer to consume this type of products at home.
Reducing delivery times of products sold through digital channels and maintaining different supply and distribution options to face scenarios of trade restrictions are some of the challenges that companies face in this new business reality.
In Central America during 2020, companies had to adjust quickly to the demands arising from the health crisis caused by the covid-19 outbreak, as restrictions on consumer mobility and face-to-face sales were continuous.
Given the new business context in which print media have been hit in recent years by changes in habits and audiences are on multiple channels and digital platforms, marketing and advertising teams must reinvent themselves.
The most recent changes in lifestyle habits resulting from the spread of covid-19 have combined with the increased use of digital platforms, a phenomenon that was already evident before the pandemic.
At the end of January 2021, Nicaragua and El Salvador were the only two countries in the region where the number of people visiting establishments identified as supermarkets was similar to the figures reported before the pandemic.
As the months have gone by and in the context of the reactivation of commercial activities, more Central American consumers have visited locations identified as supermarkets and pharmacies.
Brands offering a deeper and more emotional added value, delivering to their customers with immediacy and executing business strategies from a more local perspective are the most likely to succeed in this new commercial reality.
The outbreak of covid-19 and the mobility restrictions imposed by this pandemic significantly changed consumer behavior and perceptions of brands.
Regarding what is expected economically for 2021, in Nicaragua, El Salvador, Panama and Honduras there is more optimism among consumers, while in Guatemala and Costa Rica the percentage of people who believe that the situation will improve this year is lower.
According to the survey conducted by Kantar to measure the perception of households in Central America, at regional level 12% of consumers consulted believe that the economic situation in their country will improve during 2021, 23% expect it to be the same and 65% predict that it will be worse.
Although the restrictions imposed by the pandemic have been relaxed, consumers continue to show signs of mistrust in the current situation, behavior that could put pressure downward on spending on products and services considered to be discretionary.
In 2020, when the effects of the pandemic that caused the spread of covid-19 began to become evident, it was anticipated that consumer habits would change, since in a complicated economic scenario full of uncertainty, people would be more careful when spending.
Designing or adapting properties to be of mixed use, offering more entertainment options and mixing in an adequate way the type of tenants to whom the premises will be rented, are strategies that could give a new boost to shopping centers.
The pandemic drove consumers away from shopping centers, as government home quarantines in the region, the rise of e-commerce, and bans on people from visiting these facilities significantly affected mall operations.
In the new business reality, most Central American consumers have borrowed more than usual, spent less on snacks and personal care items, and migrated to cheaper brands than they used to before the pandemic.
Central America faced a severe economic crisis during 2020, which stemmed from the global covid-19 outbreak. The restrictions imposed by governments resulted in the rise of a new commercial reality, in which people changed their consumption patterns.
In the context of changing purchasing patterns, local consumer spending on clothing and shoes decreased by 44% and the budget allocated to telephone and Internet services increased by 52% compared to pre-pandemic levels.
The "2020 Current Events Survey", developed by the University of Costa Rica, collected information on the change in consumption patterns that arose from the coronavirus outbreak.
Personalized food, health and well-being, sustainability, zero waste and taste and indulgence are the five macro trends that impact the food sector in this new commercial reality.
The pandemic resulting from the outbreak of covid-19 has essentially served as a driving force behind most of the trends that had been developing before the crisis, only slowing down those linked to sensory experiences, concerns about the use of plastic in packaging and preferences for imported options, since the context has stimulated the consumption of brands and alternatives of local origin, according to an analysis by the Costa Rican Foreign Trade Promotion Agency (Procomer).
When mobility restrictions were decreed due to the covid-19 outbreak, interest in e-commerce services rebounded in all Central American markets, but, in the last few weeks a decrease in the number of Internet searches associated with the topic has been reported.
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.
Following the implementation of the economic reopening process, in early November in some countries of the region the number of people visiting establishments identified as supermarkets was similar to the figures reported before the pandemic.
In mid-April 2020, the concentration of people in residential areas of cities reached its highest level, a situation explained by the mobility restrictions imposed by the covid-19 outbreak.
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.
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