Shopper Digest: Unlocking Growth along the Journey

More than half of Malaysians are now purchasing FMCG online, with one Toiletries segment standing out as nearly 20% of purchases now take place on digital platforms. Interestingly, while online shoppers tend to explore fewer product categories than they would in-store, they spend more per trip. This shift presents a clear opportunity for brands to capture greater value and market share in the online space.

In the fast-moving world of FMCG, shoppers today are not just browsing. They are making deliberate, informed choices. Our panel does not only track what people buy, it also helps identify why they buy, how they decide, and what influences their journey.

Imagine this: a shopper logs on with a clear idea of what they want. They know the brand, the benefits, and the product. But as they scroll, something happens. They pause. They explore. They discover. That moment of consideration is your brand’s golden opportunity.

To better understand this behaviour, we conducted a study on the online shopping journey in a Toiletries category. The results highlighted that most online purchases in this category are intentional and planned. Yet even when shoppers have made up their minds, they do not always check out straight away. They may be waiting, comparing, and anticipating the next big sale. This suggests that even at the consideration stage there is a strong chance of brand switching, making top-of-mind awareness and clear value propositions more crucial than ever.

Touchpoints and brand engagement must therefore extend all the way to checkout, and even after. So, what is your brand doing to capture that attention?

The key takeaway: Brands that truly understand the shopper journey win. Engaging shoppers throughout the entire journey, from discovery to decision and beyond, unlocks greater value and loyalty.

Curious about your category’s journey both online and offline? Reach out to your client service team to explore how you can leverage key touchpoints along your shopper journey.

By studying our panel data, we can uncover much about the category, from overall dynamics to brand interactions and purchasing behaviours. With such knowledge, more targeted strategies can be built to expand the shopper base or even upweight existing shoppers.

Source: P8 2024 database, Worldpanel Malaysia