Guillermo D'Andrea

Breaking the myths on emerging consumers in retailing

Purpose – The research objective was to understand what low‐income or emerging consumers living in the Latin American region understand as value when considering retail offerings.Design/methodology/approach – The methodology employed for primary research was qualitative. Six of the major markets were selected: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica and Mexico. Four focus groups were conducted in each country, resulting of a total of 208 participants. Target consumers were women from the emerging socio‐economic strata (SES). Secondly, this study relies upon a wide selection of secondary research and data sources: syndicated data sources such as A.C. Nielsen; local retail associations such as ABRAS in Brazil and ANTAD in Mexico; journal and popular press articles, SES profiles and previously published, relevant consumer studies.Findings – Rather than emphasizing their limited income, emerging consumers as a group represent a sizable market for consumer products. But they should not be addressed as a...