Meta-search website iPrice Group has released data insights on the online behavior of Filipino consumers during the coronavirus lockdown.
The firm’s e-commerce aggregator compared impressions of products on its platform between November last year (a month before the outbreak) and this March, when sudden strict restrictions on physical mobility that went into effect on March 12 left Filipinos searching for alternative ways of shopping.
Impressions on kids’ outdoor pools increased by about 518 percent during the period, as thousands of Filipinos searched for alternative ways to keep their kids active and under the sun during the quarantine.
While an increase in the consumption of medical face masks is expected and ubiquitous worldwide, the demand for skin care face masks in the territory grew by 236 percent, suggesting Filipinos may be pampering themselves more at home during the lockdown.
As consumers in the Philippines seek ways to keep active and fit at home, interest in bicycles increased by about 97 percent, and searches for gym dumbbells also increased by 80 percent.
With internet access critical at this time, searches for ways to make internet connections faster, reachable, and more stable went up as impressions on wifi adapters grew about 597 percent while LAN cables grew about 150 percent in the Philippines market.
Restrictions on movement have affected in-person shopping, resulting in search hits for alternative ways to purchase essential home goods. Impressions on canned food grew
by 412 percent, with the most-searched-for brands being Delimondo, Purefoods, 555, and Century Tuna. Impression on biscuits increased by 310 percent as well.
Many Filipinos conducted searches for disinfecting multipurpose cleaner Domex, with impressions on this product surging by 1097 percent. Impressions on disinfectant spray Lysol grew by 721 percent, while products with bleach, such as Clorox, Ariel, and Tide, grew by 172 percent.
Searches for Covid-19 essentials such as medical face masks grew from zero to 100 percent during the affected period, during which time the average price rose by nearly 86 percent. Impressions on thermometers grew by 1295 percent, while vitamin searches grew by about 123 percent. Search impressions for hand sanitizers increased by 2207 percent, while those on hand soaps increased by 989 percent.
Impressions on Corona beer grew immensely by 2084 percent – however, this is likely caused by searches on the coronavirus instead of the beer brand itself.