During the first quarter of 2021, consumption of household cleaning products increased in five of the six Central American markets, with Honduras and Panama reporting the highest year-on-year variation rates.
Data revealed by Kantar Worldpanel Division highlights that between January and March 2020 and the same period of 2021, consumption of indulgence and cleaning products increased 28% in Honduras, 17% in Panama, 13% in Nicaragua, 6% in Guatemala and 3% in El Salvador.
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.
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.
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.
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).
What to consume, what to stop consuming, which habits to adopt to improve health and to which lines of expenditure to invest more financial resources, are some of the questions that consumers in Central America are asking in the context of the new normal.
The covid-19 outbreak generated a revolution in the markets of Central America and its different economic sectors.
Interest in food and beverage products has clearly increased in recent weeks in the region's markets, with the trend being more evident in products such as baked goods, soups, liquors, fruits and vegetables, candies and fast food.
Through a system that monitors 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 sectors and markets operating in the region.
As Central American economies ease the restrictions that have been placed on the spread of covid-19, sales of bottled water are forecast to decline by at least 2%.
Using a demand/income sensitivity model developed by the Trade Intelligence Unit of CentralAmericaData, variations in household demand for different goods and services can be projected as the most critical phases in the spread of covid-19 are overcome and mobility restrictions are lifted in the countries of the region.
Once the Central American economies begin to return to normal, as the restriction and quarantine measures that have been taken to prevent the spread of the covid-19 are relaxed, household consumption patterns will have changed significantly.
For example, the demand for meals out of home will decrease by about 7% from the levels reported prior to the crisis.
Fear of the unknown and the belief that a serious problem justifies a dramatic response, pushes consumers to make panicky purchases, driven by anxiety and a willingness to calm their fears.
Following the spread of covid-19 worldwide and its declaration as a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO), businesses worldwide have reported a considerable increase in the products they offer, which can be explained by consumer behavior in a context such as the current one.
In Costa Rica, the population with the highest average income shows interest in rabbits, reptiles and horses, and two out of ten consumers show interest in birds as pets.
An analysis of consumer interests and preferences in Costa Rica, compiled by CentralAmericaData's Trade Intelligence Unit, provides interesting results on the characteristics and people who show interest in pets. [GRAFICA caption="Click to interact with graphics]
In an average day, six out of every ten people with the greatest purchasing power usually move within a 60-square-kilometer area in Guatemala's Metropolitan Zone.
An analysis of the floating population in the Metropolitan Area of Guatemala, developed by the Trade Intelligence Unit of CentralAmericaData, gives interesting results on the characteristics of the people who move daily through the streets of the area.