MEN can get really personal when it comes to the products they buy for themselves.
This is according to research by Kantar Worldpanel, the global expert in shoppers’ behavior.
Instead of choosing unisex brands for their personal care products, Filipino men now prefer facial care, deodorant, shampoo and fragrance products that are specifically made for them. In fact, the personal care product lines that cater to men enjoyed a 22 percent growth in sales from March 2015 to March 2016.
Kantar Worldpanel notes that this year’s growth is almost three times more than the year before (2014-2015), which registered at only eight percent. The jump in sales of personal care products for men now account for 6.3 percent of total value sales of the category from 5.6 percent in 2015.
The data released by Kantar Worldpanel is extracted from the company’s purchase behavior study in the Philippines. Kantar Worldpanel tracks the shopping behavior of 3,000 homes in urban and rural areas across the country.
The study also revealed that men are willing to pay more for gender-specific products.
Spending on shampoo variants for men went up from P110 to P123 on average, while facial care products that address the needs of men have also seen an 18 percent increase in consumers spending from P127 on average to P150.
However, it is the deodorant category that has shown the highest growth from last year, benefiting from the male shopper’s increased preference for products that specifically address masculine needs. Deodorant for men now comprises 28 percent value sales within the total deodorant market in the Philippines. According to Kantar Worldpanel data, 27 percent of homes bought deodorant for men in the recent year, with Filipinos spending P16 more than they did in 2015.
Shampoo, the largest among the four categories surveyed, also demonstrated growth in male-specific variants. Shampoo for men grew 38 percent year-on-year, as it attracted 937,000 more buyers in 2016 than in 2015. Spending likewise went up from P110 to P122 on average.
Based on Kantar Worldpanel’s data, the increase in preference for shampoo made especially for men is most evident in the class DE homes. From 17 percent in 2015, an additional four percent of DE homes now buy shampoo especially made for men today. The Visayas and Mindanao regions have also significantly led this trend, attracting 627,000 more homes in 2016.
“The market is becoming more and more segmented but is getting more and more personal as well. Our data reveals that Filipino men are more conscious and selective of the personal care products they want to buy and use. This trend presents opportunities for brands to increase their marketing strategies to get even more personal and reach out to Filipino male shoppers who are making more gender-specific choices and purchases,” said Lourdes Deocareza, Kantar Worldpanel new business development head. (PR)