A plethora of competing products, especially consumables, now fill the market space. While this has given several options to consumers and shoppers, making informed choices has become a challenge as taste, flavour, cost, amongst others, are strong factors for consideration by shoppers, writes TONIA ‘DIYAN
Entering a supermarket located in Surulere, Lagos, a young female shopper, who simply identified herself as Chiamaka, was faced with a dilemma of making a choice from the variety of competing commodities, both local and imported products, at the supermarket.
Placed side-by-side on the store’s shelf were competing brands, especially consumables. For instance, on the cooking oil roll, brands such as Mamador, Chrisco and Wesson vegetable oil beckoned for selection. Close-Up, Macleans, Pepsodent, My My and Colgate toothpastes were displayed together on the shelf; Weetabix, Golden Morn, Corn Flakes, among others, filled the cereal section. In the confectionery section, Cabin, Coaster and Okin biscuits were very conspicuously displayed.
Confused and unsure of which one to settle for, Chiamaka left the store, and sought the assistance of a grocery expert to guide her on what should inform her choice the next time she visits a supermarket.
The Chief Executive Officer of Delightsome stores in Gbagada Lagos, Mrs. Modupe Shopeju, said such confusion when shopping are better handled by first ascertaining by considering a number of factors before visiting a store.
For instance, she explained that when an item is well packaged, of a good quality, has good taste, and generally if it can give a consumer value for his/her money such product will be a preferred choice always among consumers.
Shopeju thinks there are some consumers who would choose indigenous products anytime, even if they fall within the same price range with foreign ones. She also thinks more people patronise foreign products even if they are three times more expensive than the local ones.
Having listened to the expert, Chiamaka’s ability to make preferred choices between indigenous goods and foreign goods has improved as she only buys foreign cereals which she believes is of a better quality. “Kellogg’s cornflakes taste better than the Milo cornflakes, Nasco flakes and Good Morning flakes. Though more expensive, it gives good value for the money I use in buying it,” she explained.
According to the Branch Manager of Apapa Shoprite, George Ukwunna, price is considered as one of the most important factors affecting the consumers’ perception of a product. “Once a consumer perceives a price difference between items whether it is local or foreign, price differentials begin to affect their preference for local goods. In other words, if they notice that local items are more expensive than foreign ones, they go for the foreign ones.”
He added that a high-priced item may be perceived high in quality because of the image created by manufacturers through advertising. Similarly, a global product may be perceived to be of superior quality as quality is believed to be a prerequisite for international acceptance.
Findings have it that some consumers purchasing pattern depicts their social status. It is believed that people, especially the young ones, consider current fashions and trends while buying a product. And through television, consumers are becoming increasingly aware of the fashions and trends in other parts of the world. Hence, the fashions and trends dictate the preference of some individuals.
But most people go for international brands rather than local ones. They feel proud when they buy imported items because, to them, it depicts class.
Apart from just focusing on where the product is from, people consider other factors when buying. It has been noted that consumers are reluctant to buy goods made-in- less-developed countries as they perceive them to be low in quality.
If a brand is perceived as globally available, consumers are likely to attribute a superior quality to it, because its international acceptance is seen as a sign o f its high quality.
On one hand, consumers seem to value foreign brands and regard them as a status symbol. But they are often criticised for threatening the local differences leading to a loss of cultural identity.
Some consumers believe that purchasing local goods promotes patriotism; they, therefore, accuse foreign brands of being a potential threat to a country’s economy and employment level. However, it is important to note also that a good item should have some unique proposition to satisfy a consumer needs.
The attitudes and perceptions of consumers toward their choice of goods sometimes depends on categories, for example, electronic goods from Italy may be perceived as a poor quality but Italian clothing would be perceive as fashionable and high quality. And the Japanese electronic goods would be perceived with positive attitudes while their clothing will be negatively perceived.
However, patriotic consumers believe that our local companies have a competitive edge over their foreign competitors because they are closer to consumers here and have a better understanding of what people want. They fear that buying foreign products may hinder the growth of local companies in the country.
The Nation Shopping spoke with some shoppers to find out which product they patronise more and their experience of indigenous products.
Mr. Samson Shoile, said: “The problem with patronising indigenous products is that they are usually over-priced and of inferior quality. For example, furniture makers sell a set of living room chairs for about N650, 000 and above. It’s not as if they are of the best quality, and the finishing is likely to be shabby. If you check a foreign magazine on furniture, you will realise that what they offer for the same price or less is of a better quality. I don’t find this encouraging.
Mr Alex Ndigwe told The Nation Shopping at Mowe Ibafo, in Ogun State: “I bought a Zinox laptop sometime ago for N80, 000 with very low specifications just because I wanted to buy a made-in-Nigeria product and it didn’t last a year. I could have bought HP or Acer at the same amount with higher specifications. Same with Hitv that is supposed to give Dstv a run for their money; instead it is more expensive with all their crappy stations. It is the same issue with Globacom Nigeria and MTN South Africa.” he said.
Mrs. Esther Aghelibe said: “If we want our local products to pick up in sales we need to force the issue; ultimately, it falls to the government to set trade tariffs to force the price of imported goods to go up so that buying locally made goods becomes attractive to people. For example, if there is a Nigerian car manufacturer that is not getting patronage, put tariff on importation of cars or parts so that people get to buy these cars.
“The United States (US) did something like that back in the days when the Japanese manufacturers were dominating the electrical appliances market in the US. Most of our goods are better than all these Chinese products seen in every corner of the country. It’s just that we already have the mentality of buying imported goods even if it’s not worth it.”
Mary Obire thinks a good quality product should be durable, reliable and should have good features.
Each product claims high quality, nutritive content, innovative packaging, value for money, world-class standards and certified by relevant regulatory authorities. So, people have reasons for patronising a particular brand. For some, it has to do with the taste and flavour if it is something edible, or it could be as a result of the low price attributed to an item. For others, it is the preference for a particular brand as a matter of tradition.
