Analytics, Baltic, Culture, Estonia, Retail

The research of global consumer trends was carried out at the end of 2015 based the retailers survey data gathered by The Nielsen Company which is a global marketing research firm.

„Estonian consumers appreciate the comfort and tend to treat the time spent on cooking as most important factors among their habits concerning the food. In addition, the frequent purchases of more expensive and prepared meals  demonstrate that standards of living in Estonia are already relatively high. Higher incomes allow people to devote more time for themselves, their family and hobbies, “- said Ilona Lepp, Nielsen director general for the Baltic states.

As the study shows, only every sixth Estonian (e.c. 17% of households) tends not to purchase the prepared meals in supermarkets while in Latvia and Lithuania one of every three consumers (or accordingly, 33%) has this same habit. Estonian people have revealed that among most important factors to them when making their food purchasing decisions are the price of the food, its taste and the variety of choices.

According to the survey every third Estonian consumer argued about tending not to buy the convenience foods, which are basically sliced meals and frozen snacks in supermarkets, unlike their Baltic neighbors. Almost every second Latvian and Lithuanian (50% of consumers) does not purchase aforementioned semi manufactured food products.

In addition, Baltic consumers tend to purchase significantly more bottled table water if compared to the global average which accounts 12% of all people.

„18% of Estonian respondents stated that they do not purchase bottled drinking water while in Latvia and Lithuania these numbers were accordingly 19 and 21%. Hence, the available drinking water produced from the ground water and centrally provided to the local public by municipal water supply utilities is considered as of excellent quality in the Baltic countries. Therefore the bottled drinking water is not the item of the first necessity. Its purchases could be probably increased by the growing popularity of healthy lifestyle when daily consuming the sufficient amount of liquids, as well as the active style of living, by e. g. doing more sports ", - I.Lepp said.

Estonia differs from other Baltic states by the fact that its consumers tend to have the more significantly expressed preferences to such food as fish and seafood. Only 6% of respondents said that they do not purchase fish and seafood products in supermarkets. Accordingly, in other Baltic countries the percentage of customers with such habits is two times higher – it equals 11% in Lithuania and 10% in Latvia.