LOCAL: Are you opting for buttermilk and maas during lockdown?
South African consumers have shown a shift in their buying patterns as they turn to maas and buttermilk.
The pandemic has changed a lot, that's a given. It even has affected the way we consume and buy food. The recent unrest showed us how much we rely on the basic amenities like bread and milk. From bartering to baking, we found a way forward as a community.
And now, according to researchers, it is said that we have shifted in terms of what we are buying and where we are buying from. You would think that many people only migrate to service station convenience stores for 'convenience', right?
After all, that's what they are there for, to pick up that loaf of bread and litre of milk when you are filling up your car, or when you are not in the mood to go to the local shop. It serves as a convenience in our lives.
But it seems that many South Africans have shown that garage stores are actually easier to shop at in general. "Although still a tiny sales distribution channel, garage forecourts showed the most prominent volume growth - for maas and buttermilk, alongside bottom-end retailers." (Business Insider)
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It is believed that the convenience offered by these outlets, relative to other larger outlets, positively contributed to the recorded volume demand. As a result, garage forecourts have adjusted their product mix to ensure a more balanced offering between immediate consumption and future consumption pack alternatives.
Safe to say then that many people shopped at their local garage shops as opposed to the retail stores in malls. More than that, research found that many people found that the pandemic threatened their spending power, and therefore they turned to cheaper food options.
"In its research, BMi found that South Africa's buttermilk and maas sector recorded volume growth in 2020 when the coronavirus flared up in the country. The dairy segment was the only value-added dairy category that grew during the period," Musingadi said.
"One of the most significant growth drivers that caused a surge in demand for maas and buttermilk was affordability." (Business Insider)
This product is viewed as an affordable beverage alternative consumed with meals, to which consumers migrate to during tougher economic times, particularly focused on the larger 2 litre pack size.
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