MANILA - Almost all Filipino households bought Lucky Me! Instant Noodles in the last decade, making it number 1 on Kantar's list of top 10 most chosen fast-moving consumer goods in the country, according to the report released by the company on Tuesday.

Kantar's data, which include the annual analysis of brand strength alongside the choices shoppers make for their households, showed that in the last decade 98.4 percent of Filipino households bought Lucky Me!.

The research firm measures the brands based on their Consumer Reach Points (CRP) or the population or number of households in the country, penetration or percentage of households purchasing the brand, and consumers' choice and frequency of being chosen by Filipinos.

Lucky Me! has a CRP score of 9.4 billion, Kantar said.

Other food and beverage as well as personal and home care product makers Nescafe, Surf, Silver Swan and Palmolive completed the top 5. Meanwhile, Bear Brand, Milo, Ajinomoto, Safeguard and Cream Silk completed the list.

"These FMCG brands have been successful in finding more shoppers and reaching them at the right moment to win their households over via their shopping basket," she said.

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Despite the obvious shift in consumer behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic, the top 10 brands made sure that their products remained relevant to land a space in the consumers' spending basket, Kantar Philippines Client Manager Bea Coronel said.

Brands that offer a variety of sizes to choose from also have a wider reach, she said when asked if the sachet or retail sizes play a role in brand popularity.

Sari-sari stores, she said, remain among the most popular channel for buying these brands, Coronel added.

“Definitely retail size can be a factor. [The] Philippines generally a sachet market because Filipinos make daily trips to the store, weekly trips to the supermarkets…So we see many brands they have many sizes so they can cater to as many Filipino homes as possible,” Coronel said.

Meanwhile, Yakult remains among the top growing brands in the Philippines. In the past year it had an additional 1.3 million purchases, Kantar Philippines Client Director Nino Nierva said.

Nierva said brands could also achieve growth in reach and sales by penetrating the country's growing population.

“FMCG brands should get to know the behaviors of their target consumers better, be more present in places where they shop, and communicate effectively with them to create more moments where they can catch their attention," he said.

"They must also find ways to innovate and address the emerging needs of consumers or offer more categories for them to choose from," he added.

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