• theAsianparent Insights releases a consumer voice report on formula milk covering: brand performance and category insights, which includes purchase patterns, awareness/ influence, and retail channel preferences.
• The survey was conducted in 5 markets in Southeast Asia.
• Top brands vary across the region; all falling short in uniqueness.

Singapore, 12 November 2021 – theAsianparent (TAP), the largest content and community platform for parents in Southeast Asia reaching over 35 million users monthly, releases CONSUMER VOICE: Formula Milk Edition through its market research arm, theAsianparent Insights. 

Using a 7-point scale on seven (7) product attributes highly valued by mum consumers, the report gives brands a clear snapshot of where they stand vs. their competitors according to brand users themselves in each of these markets: Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand. 

A Unique Metric: Overall Brand Score (OBS)

Over 5,000 mums were asked to rate formula milk brands they’ve used in the past three (3) months based on seven (7) parameters: Meets Needs, Trustworthiness, Love for the Brand, Uniqueness, Value for Money, Satisfaction, and Likely to Recommend. Overall brand scores (OBS), weighted according to parameter importance, ranged from 5.31 to 6.13 (out of 7). This created an index where brands clustered near industry averages, indicating high competitiveness in the category. The brands that came out on top varied across markets:

• Indonesia: S-26 is #1 in all parameters except uniqueness, where Pediasure takes the top spot.
• Malaysia: PediaSure, Enfagrow, and Karihome obtain the top 3 OBS
• Philippines: Enfamil has the highest OBS at 6.13
• Singapore: Aptamil and Dugro are rated highest by mums
• Thailand: Dumex leads in 6 of 7 parameters but Enfagrow claims the highest OBS.

The report notes that across all markets, scores dip when it comes to uniqueness. TAP Regional Head of Insights, Malena Gong, comments: “This is a fascinating finding that we are happy to share with brands. It’s precisely what theAsianparent Insights aims to and is able to do given our massive community, tech capabilities, and the desire to bridge gaps between mums and marketers. Uniqueness is both a pain point and opportunity that brands can act on to win with mums, coming straight from mums.”

Understanding SEA Mums’ Formula Milk Shopping Behaviour

The report also touches on mums’ key consumer behaviours: Purchase Patterns, Sources of Awareness, and Circle of Influence. 

The section on “Purchase Patterns” looks at the frequency of shopping trips, number of packs and pack size per shopping trip, as well as mums’ most preferred online and offline purchase channels. A finding of note is that mums in Singapore buy the least frequently at an average of once per month, but have the highest average packs per purchase at three (3) packs per shopping trip. Singapore also showed the highest percentage of mums buying Big (700g-1000g) and Extra Big (<1kg) packs. 

On offline vs. online shopping: mum respondents in Singapore have the biggest share of online purchasers at 46% vs. 4% to 22% in other markets. Shopee is the most preferred online channel, earning 47% to 82% of share across all markets. 

Under “Sources of Awareness” and mum consumers’ “Circle of Influence,” the report finds that across all markets, recommendations from family/friends are the top source of awareness (42%-54%) and the top purchase driver (44%-56%). 

Other sources of awareness and influence to note: Fellow mums’ recommendations via social media or parenting/IM apps rank second in three out of five markets for awareness (42%-54%). Meanwhile, doctor/gynaecologist/paediatrician recommendations take the second spot across the board for influence (33%-51%). 

“‘It’s all about conversations,” Gong adds. “‘Word of mouth’ isn’t restricted to generating buzz during campaign launches, but plays a key role in reinforcing brand trust—as waves of first-time mums seek advice on which products are truly suited to their various needs and so would make the best choice for their family. Many of these conversations are happening online, in mum circles and larger parent communities, swapping stories, tips, and unfiltered reviews. These are the spaces that demand listening.” 

To read the full CONSUMER VOICE: Formula Milk Edition 2021 report, including country by country data and insights on preferred social media platforms and on mum influencers, access the report via Insights.theAsianparent.com. 

To schedule a presentation on the full report or to know more about the market research projects and custom services of theAsianparent Insights, email: [email protected].