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Rabat – After surveying a representative sample of Moroccans on their purchasing habits, a new study by Imperium has established that most Moroccan consumers are ready to support local brands.
Titled “Moroccans and Made in Morocco – Preference and Implication,” the study explores the relationship between Moroccan consumers and national brands.
With the socio-economic fallout of the COVID crisis and Morocco’s recent political reforms, the country’s current economic and social situation requires active participation from citizens with regard to local consumption, Imperium’s study appeared to suggest.
The idea is that, for many in Morocco, the pandemic-induced transformations have laid bare the need for a resilient and largely self-sufficient national economy to both survive the current economic crisis and create the conditions for a successful post-COVID recovery.
“The health crisis has demonstrated the importance of a local label, especially when it comes to necessity goods. The economic situation has also shown that Morocco must improve its offers in order to reduce its dependence on foreign countries as much as possible,” the study said.
Carried out from February 25 to March 6, 2021, the Imperium survey asked Moroccan consumers about the key factors that influence their purchasing habits and preferences. The study revealed that Moroccans are ready to support their country’s economy by leaning more towards the purchase of local products rather than imported ones.
It added, however, that Moroccans’ preference or support for local products does not outweigh their concerns for quality and fair pricing. The majority of people surveyed in Imperium’s study insisted, for instance, on the building of a consumer-friendly environment through the establishment of satisfactory parameters of price, quality.
They argued that the existence of an environment that secures fair pricing and quality can only boost their confidence in local brands.
The study also focused on the progress of the Consumer Confidence Index (CCI) before and during Morocco’s vaccination campaign.
Moroccans’ optimism about the economic situation of the country has significantly improved in recent weeks, going from 54% to 60% after five months of vaccination.
Morocco has launched many initiatives over the years to promote the “Made in Morocco” label and encourage local consumption.
“Nation branding,” which aims to measure, build and manage the reputation of a country, has become more and more prevalent in the purchasing habits of Moroccans.
The results of the study show that while price, packaging and brand name are highly important factors in Moroccan consumers’ choice, the “Made in” label also remains a significant component, especially in terms of the occasional personalized connection between brands and consumers.
“Of the population surveyed, more than one in two Moroccans said they pay attention to the “Made in” label when buying their usual products, while 39 % indirectly implied that checking the label is something that is completely habitual for them,” Imperium wrote.
As for the “Made in Morocco” label, the opinions polled by Imperium indicate that 72% of the surveyed population are very confident in this label. These mostly include people of the middle class aged 35 and older.
“The drop in confidence is to be correlated with the age group of young people, the survey having shown that the 44% of those polled who are not very confident are precisely Moroccans under the age of 24,” concluded Imperium.
