Israel-Gaza War : Boycotting Western products increases local alternatives - Report

Another interesting phenomenon that we are witnessing this time is that the boycott is followed more enthusiastically by the upper class of society, who usually consume international brands. This is another factor that has strained the business of multinational companies.

KARACHI: A social movement to boycott Western products to protest alleged support for Israeli atrocities in Gaza has dealt a major blow to the business of Pakistan's world-renowned brands. At the same time, it has increased opportunities for local alternatives, which are still struggling to fill the gap because of their shortcomings, researchers and industrialist said.

"This also appears as an opportunity for local companies that have seen an increase in sales as an alternative to international products," said Kashif Hafeez of Pulse Consultants, a national social research organization that conducted the recent study.

"The study will help our local businesses to take advantage of the opportunity and fill the gaps. In terms of quality, they are as good as multinational companies, but they have major challenges in terms of distribution, marketing and availability of their products.

The latest data comes from a survey that asked hundreds of people across Pakistan about their reaction to a recent call for a boycott of Western products in protest after Israel began bombing civilians following the October 7 attacks, killing thousands of civilians. more than half of them. them children In response, almost 80 percent of consumers agreed with the motive of the campaign and supported the boycott call, while almost 70 percent almost started participating in the campaign, giving up using several international and western brands.

According to Expert, some products do not have local brands available and since their production is not domestic, their sales have not changed.

"How we lack good toothpastes and some other FMCG [fast moving consumer goods]," he said. "But at the same time, there are dozens of products where our brands are of much higher quality, and we are already facing tough competition from international brands. Tea is one thing where we are much better in terms of local brands compared to international companies.

Another interesting a phenomenon that we are witnessing this time is that the boycott is followed more enthusiastically by the upper class of society, who usually consume international brands. This is another factor that has put pressure on the business of multinational companies.

According to a survey conducted in 12 major cities of Pakistan, eight out of ten respondents supported boycotting international and western brands, and seven out of ten said they had already started the practice. "Interestingly, women who are considered the decision makers of household brands have a relatively high boycott sentiment compared to men," the survey of 16-55 year olds states. 78 percent of female respondents not only agreed with the call for a boycott, but also claimed to have actively participated in the campaign, compared to 66 percent of male respondents. The strongest and most effective boycott reaction was observed against carbonated soft drinks, followed by sweets, packaged dairy products, soaps, shampoos, foodstuffs, cooking oil, toothpaste and others.