Brands that have the most consumer reach in Malaysia

Maggi and MILO, both Nestle brands, have been ranked the top two brands with the most consumer reach points in Malaysia. According to Kantar’s Asia Brand Footprint 2019 report, Maggi had almost 9 in 10 Peninsular Malaysians picking up the brand and purchasing it for 43 million times. Meanwhile, MILO had 85% of Peninsular Malaysian households picking up the brand, racking up 34 million purchase acts.Coming in third was Marigold with 21 million purchase acts, while Dutch Lady (#4) had 21 million purchase acts. Kantar said that while Marigold had more penetration, Dutch Lady made up for the smaller consumer base with a higher hit rate. While canned food brand Ayam went through a challenging period in 2017, Kantar said it regained the trust of its existing users in 2018 and picked up more purchase acts. Meanwhile in Indonesia, Indomie held on to the crown for the seventh consecutive year with 1,241 million purchase acts and a penetration of 97.5% in 2018. Indomie was able to offer a rich amount of flavour variations while remaining relevant to Indonesian consumers. Its consumer reach points and frequency were also significantly higher compared to the other top five Indonesian brands.Coming in second was homecare brand So Klin with 771 million purchase acts and a penetration of 94.7%, while beverage brand Kapal Api is present in roughly 83.3% of households. Unilever’s food additive brand Royco secured fourth position while another instant noodle brand, Mie Sedaap was ranked fifth. According to Kantar, consumers trends and focuses in Asia have shifted over the last decade to reflect the three needs around health and safety, convenience and happiness. Asian consumers are becoming more cautious of their purchasing choices in terms of their health benefits and the concept of health and safety is evolving at stages defined by consumers in accordance to their lifestyle and life stage needs.In top tier or urban cities in Asia, consumers are usually looking for non-additive, high quality, organic or plant-based ingredients in foods or beverages they consume or personal care and even household products. An increasing number of Millennial and centennial consumers are also looking at the origins or source of the ingredients and products from either an environmental sustainability or personal anti-ageing perspective. Meanwhile the silver or ageing population are looking at whether these products will help with life preservation or to boost immunity to diseases commonly associated with old age.Convenience is also of huge importance, especially to the younger consumers who demand for easy to use, purposeful products and packaging that can accommodate their needs, and channels which give them the fastest and easiest access to these products. Across the region, Kantar added that instant foods such as snacks, cereal, rice soup or convenient cooking aids such as sauces and meal maker, are the products achieving growth when time becomes more precious than money.Kantar also noted that the line between online and offline is getting blurred. Through online, shoppers get easier access to various products with flourishing information and they can also purchase them with just one click anytime, anywhere, which provides greater convenience. As such, many brands are now moving to online and expanding their digital presence to be able to meet consumers wherever they are and whenever they want.Consumers are also looking for a “feel good” mentality when they consciously choose one brand over the other.As such, brands need to cater to their varying needs that arise from different occasions and purposes and give them a compelling reason to choose their products over their competitors.Marcy Kou, CEO Worldpanel Division Asia, Kantar said that consumers are becoming more discerning, informed and well-travelled. As a result, they are exposed to more options, ideas, products, and perspectives.“All this influences, shapes and changes their perception and demands to where making a purchase is not just about a product, but what else the brand offers, including a complete shopping experience for them as consumers,” Kou said.Kantar’s annual Brand Footprint study is based on research from 72% of the global population; a total of one billion households in 49 countries across five continents — covering 85% of the global GDP. As part of the study, Worldpanel tracks more than 21,400 brands across beverages, food, dairy, health and beauty and homecare. Asia Brand Footprint reports top FMCG brands ranking in terms of consumer reach points specifically in seven Asian markets – China mainland, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam.