2014 BrandSpark Canadian Ethnic Shopper Study Results Announced

How do Canadian consumers of Chinese, South Asian and East Asian backgrounds compare with the average Canadian shopper?

TORONTO, July 21, 2014 /CNW/ - Today, Canada's leading market research and insight firm BrandSpark International announced the results of their 2014 BrandSpark Canadian Ethnic Shopper Study. The Study surveyed more than 8,800 Canadians of Chinese, South Asian and East Asian backgrounds to reveal insights about shopping habits for every day products. It reveals the consumer motivation behind every day purchasing decisions, as well as consumer attitudes about food and nutrition, health, media habits, the economy, the environment and new technology. Highlights from the Ethnic Shopper Study are compared with highlights from the previously released 2014 BrandSpark Canadian Shopper Study, which surveyed more than 100,000 Canadians. The Canadian Ethnic Shopper Study was conducted between October and November 2013 with respondents aged 18 and older.

"BrandSpark has been surveying Canadians about their everyday shopping habits for eleven years. We understand what Canadians want, and more importantly, we know exactly what makes them open up their wallets to buy," said Robert Levy, President of BrandSpark International. "We are now digging deeper with our research to understand and glean insights about different segments of Canadian shoppers, in this case Canada's top ethnic groups: Chinese, South Asian and East Asian Canadians."

Highlights from BrandSpark's 2014 Canadian Ethnic Shopper Study

Value for Money is the Most Important Factor for Canada's Ethnic Shoppers

Price is cited more often as the most important factor for the purchasing decision of Canada's ethnic shoppers when compared to the general Canadian shopper. East Asians are most likely to say that price is the most important factor in their food purchase decisions, while South Asians are more likely than other shoppers to be concerned about price for over-the-counter health and household care products.

Price is the most important factor in my purchase decisions	Overall	Chinese	South Asian	East Asian
Food & Beverage	62%	68%	66%	72%
Personal Care/Beauty	52%	56%	57%	55%
Household Care	58%	66%	75%	65%
Over-the-counter Health	51%	54%	66%	51%

South and East Asian Shoppers are the Most Focused on Brand Names

South Asian and East Asian shoppers are most focused on obtaining their favourite brand regardless of price, while Chinese shoppers align with the general Canadian shopper, with just 10% saying they buy the best brands without much concern about the cost.

	Overall	Chinese	South Asian	East Asian
I buy the brands that I think are best and don't worry much about price	10%	10%	21%	17%

Word of Mouth Recommendations are Bigger Amongst Canada's Ethnic Consumers

Chinese, South and East Asian shoppers share recommendations more often than the typical Canadian shopper.

	Overall	Chinese	South Asian	East Asian
If I get a deal on something I love to tell my friends and family about it	80%	85%	84%	90%

Canada's Ethnic Shoppers Prefer the Internet for Nutritional Information versus Product Labels

Sources of nutritional information differ for Canada's ethnic shoppers with most obtaining nutritional information online, while product labels are the main source of nutritional information for the general Canadian shopper.

What are your top sources for nutritional information?	Overall	Chinese	South Asian	East Asian
Internet web search	39%	41%	47%	42%
Product labels	53%	39%	36%	26%

Canada's Ethnic Consumers Value Convenience When Shopping for Meals

Convenience remains more important to Chinese, South Asian, and East Asian shoppers, who are all more likely than the average shopper to eat pre-made frozen food and take-out meals.

In the past week, how many times did you do each of the following for dinner (% once or more)	Overall	Chinese	South Asian	East Asian
Eat prepared frozen or packaged foods for dinner	55%	63%	60%	59%
Pick-up ready-to-eat meals for dinner from the grocery store	32%	54%	48%	46%
Get take-out from a restaurant	35%	48%	56%	53%

Walmart is the Top Shopping Destination for South and East Asian Consumers

Partly driven by where they reside in Canada, and partly by shopping habits and preferences, South and East Asians are significantly more likely to be frequent Walmart shoppers than the average Canadian, while Chinese shoppers are likely to shop elsewhere. Costco and T&T are particularly popular with Chinese shoppers, who are also more likely to do shopping online.

At which of the stores below do you shop MOST OFTEN for food & beverage products?	Overall	Chinese	South Asian	East Asian
Walmart	17%	13%	37%	31%
Real Canadian SuperStore	9%	14%	9%	10%
No Frills	9%	13%	19%	13%
IGA	7%	1%	0%	1%
Maxi	6%	1%	1%	1%
Sobeys	6%	2%	0%	2%
Metro	6%	3%	3%	1%
Costco	5%	11%	5%	7%
Loblaws	5%	8%	4%	5%
T&T	1%	11%	1%	0%

Do you shop online?	Overall	Chinese	South Asian	East Asian
Yes	62%	71%	65%	60%

Canada's Ethnic Consumers Love High Tech Gadgets

Ethnic shoppers have higher smartphone and tablet ownership rates than the national average.

Which of the following devices do you own?	Overall	Chinese	South Asian	East Asian
Smartphone	52%	62%	60%	59%
Tablet	36%	44%	45%	43%

Online Television is Key to Reaching Canada's Ethnic Consumers

Canada's ethnic consumers spend comparatively less time interacting with traditional media sources, particularly cable television, and more time consuming content through online video sites, such as YouTube or Netflix. This underscores the need for advertisers to adapt their media plans when looking to reach ethnic consumers.

In an average week, please indicate how many hours you spend interacting with each of the following:	Overall	Chinese	South Asian	East Asian
Television via Cable, Antenna or Dish	12.7	8.1	7.1	7.4
Radio (not online)	5.6	3.9	3.0	3.8
Social Media Sites	4.8	4.7	5.0	4.1
Online Television	3.4	5.2	6.2	4.9

For more information about or to obtain a copy of the entire 2014 Canadian Ethnic Shopper Study please contact: Linda Wang, Director, Ethnic Marketing Canada & Best New Product Awards China at [email protected].

About BrandSpark International

BrandSpark International is a leading brand, marketing and product innovation research company. Its comprehensive and innovative research approach gets at the heart of how consumers think, why they act the way they do, and what clients need to do about it. With expertise in retail and leisure categories and an exclusive relationship with the Best New Product Awards, BrandSpark has a deep global perspective on the drivers of innovation unlike any other research company.
For more information, visit www.BrandSpark.com.

SOURCE: BrandSpark International

For interview requests, to receive additional information about the 2014 Canadian Ethnic Shopper Study or the 2014 BrandSpark Canadian Shopper Study, please contact: JDA: Jefferson Darrell, 416-357-0234, [email protected]; OR Adrian Dafoe, 647-200-4816, [email protected]; BrandSpark International: Robert Levy, President, [email protected]