At the end of last February, The Peruvian Company for Market and Opinion Studies (CPI) revealed that 90.8% of Peruvians estimated that crime was increasing. Meanwhile, the Lima Como Vamos organization indicated that 80% of citizens of the capital feel unsafe. Under this perception, insecurity is “taking by storm” the dynamism in business, changing purchasing habits nationwide, according to the study El Consumidor Peruano 2024, by Ipsos Peru. However, economic expectations are improving.
Javier Álvarez, senior director of Trends at said company, explained that 55% of Peruvians avoid going out shopping at night for safety reasons. Meanwhile, 33% carry little cash to reduce the risk of theft.
“We are facing a problem that is no longer seen as foreign, it is already in the consumer’s mind,” he told Gestión, after mentioning that 27% also prefer to visit nearby stores instead of exploring distant stores.
Due to the feeling of insecurity in the streets, 15% also go shopping accompanied. However, the executive highlighted that this problem opens up certain opportunities such as promoting electronic payment methods. Just out of fear of assaults, 13% of Peruvians opt for digital payments in order to avoid using physical money.
Beyond the concern about robbery in the streets, the Ipsos Peru study also specified that the concept of insecurity has been evolving. Now, it also incorporates problems of fraud in online purchases and identity cloning, becoming a new concern for Peruvians.
Despite the feeling of insecurity, Álvarez highlighted that Peruvians’ expectations for 2024 are more positive. So, 46% of respondents expect their family economic situation to be better or much better in the next 12 months, thus showing some recovery compared to what was estimated last year.