Whether in terms of values or consumption habits, the health crisis has clearly transformed societies, Moroccans being no exception, according to a survey carried out by the international consulting agency ”MARCO”, based in Madrid.
The study, carried out during the months of May and June 2022, among 14,200 people in 14 countries, confirms this observation and highlights that all social classes, generations and regions combined, 75% of Moroccans declare that the pandemic has changed them.
The ”MARCO 2022: Consumption habits after the Covid-19 pandemic” survey collected the opinions of respondents on a selection of topics ranging from brand responsibility, the environment, sources of information , instead of social networks, cryptocurrency and metaverse.
The most notable transformation revealed by this survey lies in the demands of Moroccans vis-Ã -vis brands and companies. They are very assertive, and not only in terms of product quality or value for money.
The protection of the environment, sustainability, the well-being of employees or even values in terms of diversity are all criteria that guide the choices of Moroccan men and women, knowing that women have much clearer positions on these questions which engage the responsibility of brands.
Thus, 84% of Moroccans consider it very important (63%) or important (21%) that a brand or company treats its employees correctly. Women are more sensitive to this since 89% consider this aspect very important or important (21%). From a geographical point of view, it is in the Atlantic regions that 88% of those questioned are more sensitive to the treatment reserved for employees.
According to the survey, the promotion of diversity by a brand or company is considered very important (59%) or important (32%) for 91% of Moroccans. It is in the southern regions of the country that the percentage is highest with 95%.
When asked whether ”what is most important is a trendy brand or a responsible brand”, 51% agree with brand responsibility, with a much stronger vote among women who are 60% say they prefer more responsible brands compared to 47% among men.
The higher the age bracket, the greater the responsibility in the eyes of the respondents. Thus, they are 64% among 40/65 year olds and only 42% among 18/25 year olds.
As far as the respect of the environment by brands is concerned, low-income households are more sensitive to it. 91% of Moroccans consider it very important (67%) or important (24%) that a brand or company respects the environment. Here again, women are more likely than men to consider the question very important (76%) to them.
Among low-income households, the question is very important for 70% of those questioned, ie 4% more than the middle classes and 5% more than the wealthy classes.
Overall, women are more concerned about a brand’s social and environmental responsibilities. The low cost of the product only comes in 4th position with them.
The MARCO survey also confirms new trends in the use of social networks, which have become “leading” sources of information.
The Moroccans questioned say they very often consult, as sources of information available, Facebook (53%), Whatsapp (51%) and Instagram (46%).
Men are more likely to consult Facebook often with 55% while Instagram is the number 1 source for 62% of women who also like WhatsApp with 58%. Television comes in 4th position and it is men who watch it more often for information (33%) than women (27%). It is in the 40/65 age group that the small screen is the most important for 75% who watch it a lot or often. Of all respondents, 44% say they rarely watch television for information.
In this same age group, the radio is also important since it comes in 4th position with 32% who listen to it very often. Online newspapers 29%, Twitter 29% and LinkedIn 25% are also more important for 40/65 year olds when the written press represents only 20%, for all of the people questioned.
However, in terms of the reliability of information, television continues to take the lion’s share with 68% of Moroccans who consider it very reliable (39%) or reliable (29%).
It should also be noted that the written press only receives 28% deeming it ”very reliable”.
Among 18/25 year olds, television only comes in 3rd position ahead of Whatsapp (44%) and Instagram (40%) but among 40/65 year olds, traditional media continue to be the most reliable with television online. head, 46% considering it to be very reliable and 29% reliable. The radio is in third position with 33% and the written press in 7th position with 25%.
On another point, the result of which may surprise, the survey shows that 50% of Moroccans have already invested in cryptocurrency. Only 31% of women have already taken the plunge. You have to look at the 40/65 age bracket to find the highest percentage of people who have ever invested in cryptocurrency with 64% of respondents.
Finally, the last point addressed by the survey concerns the immersive digital universe, supposed to extend physical reality via augmented or virtual reality, namely the metaverse. About 61% of respondents say they know what metaverse is, especially men (64%).
When asked what use they would make of the metaverse, 50% speak of video games, 41% of concerts and music, 31% of shopping when 30% would use it for education.
It is in the youngest age groups that the metaverse seems to interest the most, especially for video games, concerts and music.
The MARCO survey observed consumer trends in 14 key markets around the world, spread across 3 continents.
The countries studied include the main European markets (UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain and Portugal), the key markets of the African continent (Morocco, South Africa, Kenya and Ivory Coast) and Mexico, Brazil and Colombia for Latin America and the United States.