KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysians tend to buy new products from brands that are familiar to them, and we are below the global average in being early purchasers of new product innovation.

Market research provider Nielsen said in a statement that two-thirds (63%) of Malaysian consumers preferred to buy new products from familiar brands versus 59% globally. So brand recognition is particularly influential in this country.

The Nielsen Global New Product Innovation Survey also found that a third of Malaysians (33%) said they were early buyers of new product innovation, compared to 39% globally.

For the study, Nielsen polled 30,000 online respondents in 60 countries (513 in Malaysia) between Feb 23 and March 13 to understand consumer attitudes and sentiments about the drivers behind new product purchase intent. For the study’s purpose, Nielsen defined a new product as any item a consumer had never bought previously.

New products are strongest in developing countries as far as early adopters are concerned.

More than half of respondents in Asia-Pacific (69%), Africa/Middle East (57%) and Latin America (56%) said they bought new products during their last grocery-shopping trip, compared with 44% in Europe and 31% in North America.

For South-East Asia, nearly three-quarters (73%) said they bought a new product during their last grocery-shopping trip, against the global average of 57%. Malaysian consumers are close to the world average, at 58%, but can boast being ahead of Singapore (43%).

Nielsen said the survey results showed that consumers in developing markets were more inclined to try new products and they lead the way in self-reporting purchasing.

“Consumers throughout South-East Asia have a strong appetite for innovation and they are increasingly demanding and expecting better choice,” observed Johan Vrancken, head of Nielsen’s innovation practice in South-East Asia, North Asia and Pacific.

“But success can be hard to come by. Brand competition is intense and shelves are crowded so knowing the channels which are most effective in delivering new product information is crucial.”

The Nielsen report also revealed that a third (34%) of Malaysian consumers cited affordability as the key driver of new product purchases followed by personal recommendation (32%) and being suitable for the whole family (31%). Globally, affordability also tops the consumers’ list as most desired, though at a lower rate of 23%, followed by personal recommendation and convenience (both 22%).

In terms of new product demand, Malaysians indicated products which centered on affordability (57%), convenience (37%), health (36%) and natural ingredients (34%) as key focus. Globally, affordability also tops the list overall, but at a lower rate of 43%.