Posts by NRISG

The number of registered electric cars (EVs) in the Philippines has increased significantly, yet they remain a minority. In the final installment of our ASEAN 5000 Survey series, we look at how EV manufacturers may capitalize on Filipinos’ shifting perceptions of East Asian automobile brands. We investigated the characteristics of Filipino (more…)

It seems like the Philippine population, just like the Philippine economy, is stuck. The country has been stuck as a lower middle-income economy for the past 48 years. As a result, 80+% of Filipino households have been stuck below the middle-class threshold.   We expect this to change in the (more…)

In 2013, NRI conducted a survey on market attractiveness and brand image across ASEAN. A decade later, we revisit this study to analyze shifts in consumer perception, particularly how they impact automotive branding, especially electric vehicles (EV), in the Philippines, through our ASEAN 5000 Survey series.   In Part 1, (more…)

Nomura Research Institute (NRI) Manila Branch recently conducted a successful Japanese Cross-cultural Understanding (CCU) program for BPI MS Insurance Corporation (BPI MS). Among the participants included various team members, ranging from staff to managers across different departments. The CCU training focused on equipping BPI MS employees with the skills to (more…)

Back in 2012, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) published a paper entitled Tracking the Middle-Income Trap: What is It, Who is in It, and Why? According to their research, the Philippines – as of 2010 – has been a lower middle-income economy for the past 34 years. 14 years later (more…)

Nitori, a Japanese furniture seller, opened its first retail store in the Philippines last April. This was, according to Trade Secretary Pascual, the first major investment under the amended Retail Trade Liberalization Act (RTLA). The amendatory law was supposed to attract foreign retailers to set up shop in the country. (more…)

The 3rd quarter Philippine GDP numbers suggest that inflation has affected the different economic classes disproportionately. The higher classes, who can afford to spend on hotels and restaurants continue to do so, despite high inflation and rising interest rates. On the contrary, the lower classes who only spend on the (more…)

In the previous article, we concluded that e-commerce is here to stay and will form a larger part of PH economy. As more Filipinos go online to shop, competition in the e-commerce space will only become tougher and winning for business may mean employing multiple strategies and forging partnerships. In (more…)

Adoption of e-commerce by Filipinos have been accelerated, if not forced, by the pandemic. From 2019 to 2022, e-commerce revenues have almost doubled (from USD 8.5 billion in 2019 to USD 16 billion in 2022) according to Statista data. Now that traditional channels have reopened and further lockdowns are not (more…)

94% of Metro Manila’s middle-class Gen Zs and Millennials felt the impact of inflation in the 2nd quarter of 2023. This summary report outlines the impact of recent inflation on the finances of Metro Manila’s middle-class younger working force, based on the survey conducted by NRI Manila from May to (more…)