Malls turn Kenyans into weekly shoppers

• Families are visiting supermarkets more frequently than they did last year, as clean toilets and parking win customers over

Families in Kenya are now shopping at reduced intervals than they did last year.

And their visits are not just to buy foodstuff to go and cook; they are increasingly turning to ready cooked food, now available in supermarkets, a new survey shows.

A research by Consumer Insight shows weekly shoppers, especially those in urban areas, now stand at 55 per cent up from 46 per cent last year.

Those who buy their foodstuff on a daily basis have reduced from 13 to 11 per cent just like those who do it monthly, who have reduced from 15 per cent to eight per cent.

“Shopping outlets are now more available and people can buy what they need any time, even on their way home,” said Mr Ndirangu Wa Maina, the chief executive of Consumer Insight.

But personal finance analysts believe the shopping trend is due to availability of “offshore finance” away from people’s traditional sources of income.

“People’s lives no longer revolve around their monthly or daily incomes. People are getting money from their small deals, including side jobs. They are able to purchase any time of the month,” said Mr Moses Mwanthi, a personal finance adviser at Lea Limited, Nairobi.

The Reja Shopper Behaviour Research conducted on 1,305 customers sought to find out the emerging shopping trends in the country. Instructively, the report was released during the month of December, when the shopping bug bites many people.

The survey revealed that at 35 per cent, those aged 25-29 had the greatest appetite for shopping.

“This age group is on a shopping activation mode because most have started to earn, or are stocking their houses. Majority also have a high taste of new things,” Mr Maina said.

Twenty-nine per cent of shoppers were aged 30-40 per cent, while those over 40 years constituted 12 per cent.

Combined, it means 64 per cent of shoppers are aged between 25-40 years, which could mean manufacturers who target these age groups are likely to sell their products and services faster.

This demographic composition to a large extent explains why cooked food and chocolates are the top most products bought through impulse buying. At 17 per cent, cooked food could soon outsell chocolate on impulse buying category. The former was chosen by 18 per cent of the shoppers.

It was discovered that the number of urbanites buying ready cooked foods had shot by 50 per cent since last year — explaining why many supermarkets are opening eateries within their premises.

Mr Maina said most bachelors and spinsters are in this group and may need ready foods more.

“This group has no time... They are turning supermarkets into eateries,” he said.

The survey, which was carried out in Nairobi, Kisumu, Mombasa, Nyeri, Nakuru, Eldoret and Machakos towns also shows that clean toilets and other sanitary facilities as well as ample parking may be the only things some shopping outlets will need to boost their customer base.

Eighty-six per cent of the respondents said they did their shopping at the same venue due to convenience, while 47 per cent said they had the low prices.