Zimbabwean consumers have overwhelmingly cited price and quality as primary determinants that influence their buying decisions.
The findings follow a survey of over 7200 people that was conducted by Select Research between March and April of 2025 to identify drivers of Zimbabwean consumers’ product preference. The survey commissioned by Buy Zimbabwe will determine winners to be announced at ZimBrands Awards set for 30 May 2025 in Harare.
Speaking at the announcement of the top brands for various categories, Select Research Project Manager, Sarah Suruto underlined some of the research’s key findings.
“What we did was to get market insights of the local products directly from the consumer. It was mainly about the consumer insights, not coming from us but the market,” she said.
Suruto added that from the survey 79.1% of the respondents cited Price as a primary determinant for preferring a particular product. Quality considerations came second with 72%.
Customer Service was a distant third at 36.9% followed by brand availability at 23.8%, Innovation was number 5 at 20.3%. Brand Loyalty was at number 6 with 15.2%. Marketing and Advertisement was positioned at number 7 with 4%. The least considered factor was Packaging which had only 2.6% respondents citing it as key in influencing their purchasing behavior.
Commenting on the research results, Buy Zimbabwe Chairman and CEO, Munyaradzi Hwengwere, applauded Select Research for their professionalism and objectivity.
“We have received way more than we expected. We now realise that there are limits to emotional appeals. Buying local as a campaign must go beyond patriotic appeal. Competitiveness is cardinal. We are happy that our 2025 Zimbrands Awards will no longer be based on self-assessment but on actionable and valid market information.”
The final list of winners is set to be unveiled on the 30th of May 2025 at Zimbrands Awards to be presided over by Minister of Industry and Commerce, Honourable Mangaliso Ndlovu.
