5 awesome facts about shopping in the Philippines

From a place to get your essentials to your main source of entertainment, malls prove to be vital institutions in the Philippines. Shopping has become more fun in the country, thanks to the growth of the industry and its patrons. Put more meaning into the fun activity with some facts that may just leave shoppers in awe:

More Filipino men are now doing the groceries
Gone are the days that shopping for home supplies is limited to the women in the household. According to the Nielsen Shoppers Trends 2017 report, Filipino men make up 40% of grocery shoppers, six percentage points higher than the previous year.

Filipinos are among the top spenders for snacks
Last year, the Philippines ranked seventh among the countries where snack sales are surging, as stated in the latest Nielsen Retail Measurement Services report. In a separate report by the market research firm, Pinoys are said to prefer locally made snacks—with more than half or 54% choosing such products than global brands.

Quick service restaurants are Metro Manila residents’ best bet for dining out
When residents of Metro Manila want to eat out, their most preferred place to go to is a quick-service restaurant, the latest Nielsen Foodie Report reveals. Other top choices include convenience stores and doughnut shops. As for the time they want to dine out, the same report says most eat out during lunch and mid-afternoon snacks.

The daily count of mall shoppers in the country exceeds some countries’ populations
SM Supermalls, which may be the largest mall operator in the Philippines, records a daily shopper count of millions. For scale, SM malls nationwide cater to an average number of 3.5 million shoppers daily–that’s more than the populations of the countries Slovenia, Luxembourg, the Bahamas, and Tonga combined.

SM Supermalls started as a shoe store in Carriedo, Manila
The country’s biggest mall saw its humble beginnings in Carriedo, Manila, where it first opened as a shoe store in 1958. The SM brand has since come a long way as it celebrates 60 #AweSM years this 2018—with a host of 60-themed discounts, deals, and sale events from May to October in SM malls across the country.

Be on the lookout for a feast of visual attractions, fun experiences, and interactive activities featuring innovative technology that will continue to excite and delight you when shopping in SM malls!