Understand the cultural and socioeconomic influences that shape i...
Understand the cultural and socioeconomic influences that shape industry demand throughout Asia-Pacific, with local insight, market statistics and analysis ranging from strategic regional overview to in-depth coverage by country or city.
Home products specialists saw growth in current value terms in 2023. Increases were seen across all channels, but as in the previous year, growth was driven mainly by homewares and home furnishing stores. The leading player in this channel, Nitori,…
On 8 May 2023, the Japanese government announced that it would reclassify COVID-19 as a class 5 infectious disease, which is the same classification as seasonal flu. As a result, decisions regarding infection control are now left to individuals and…
In 2023, department stores benefited from a rebound in the number of tourists visiting Japan and the depreciation of the yen. Although it lagged somewhat behind other countries, Japan finally lifted COVID-19 regulations in 2023. As for the recovery…
Direct selling continues to face headwinds due to the ageing of the customer base, and the loss of recruitment opportunities due to changes in social behaviour since the pandemic. On the other hand, some players saw rising sales in 2023, as society…
On 8 May 2023, the Japanese government announced that it would reclassify COVID-19 as a class 5 infectious disease, which is the same classification as seasonal flu. This shift pushed consumers in Japan to go back to their pre-COVID-19 behaviours,…
Yodobashi partnered with Fortress Investment Group in the acquisition of the department store brands Seibu and Sogo from Seven & i Holdings Co Ltd, and is hoping to establish a new store in Ikebukuro. Ikebukuro is one of the largest towns in Japan,…
The leading player in apparel and footwear specialists, Fast Retailing, has been focusing on experiences in its stores. Having both an offline and online presence, the retailer aims to differentiate its physical stores by providing customers with…
Technological advances in 2024 will continue to reshape consumer behaviour. This annual report explores the top five digital shopper trends that will redefine commerce the most in the year ahead. Some of the trends included in this report’s edition…
This report examines inflation levels and drivers globally and in key countries in Q4 2023 and 2024. Global inflation is moderating, although divergence remains among the key economies. Higher volatility in the energy markets and disruption of…
Rising costs of living pose challenges globally, but companies can find opportunities in several categories, essential and discretionary, especially in underpenetrated fast-growing markets. By considering category adjacencies and focusing on value,…
In the upcoming years, consumers and businesses face an array of challenges, with rising income inequality being among the key ones. Nevertheless, addressing the income inequality through catering to the Bottom of the Pyramid and the Middle Class…
Businesses globally face challenges in consumer markets in the short to medium term, owing to the rising cost of living and increasingly financially cautious consumers. Amidst uncertainty arise opportunities. Income and expenditure insights are…
Consumers are facing increased pressure from rising prices as global inflation reaches 7% in 2023. The impact of higher costs of living is felt from top earners in developed markets to struggling households in emerging and developing countries.…
Cities are hubs for spending, with 80% of expenditure expected to be generated by urban areas in 2023. Spending growth in 2023 will, however, be sluggish, as cost of living challenges force consumers to be more conservative in their expenditure. Over…
Global consumers are struggling with the cost of living crisis, as inflation remains high while household income growth lags. Consumers are adopting recessionary habits, such as trading down and being more selective in their spending. Rather than…
Asia Pacific houses the biggest country market for e-commerce (China) and the nation with the second highest e-commerce per capita consumption in value terms (South Korea). As a region, it therefore houses highly developed e-commerce countries, but…
Sales at grocery retailers were back in decline in Asia Pacific in 2022, with the impact of spiking case numbers in China, as it continued to pursue its zero-COVID policy, dragging down the overall regional performance. This followed a strong…
Despite the deleterious impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Uzbekistan recorded positive annual real GDP growth of 1.9% in 2020. With the reopening of the economy, as well as higher state investment and a recovery in remittance inflows that bolstered…
Sri Lanka experienced an economic crisis in 2022 with hyperinflation and severe import restrictions due to a lack of dollars. Many retailers struggled to meet demand with the country experiencing severe shortages, including for key products such as…
In 2022, retail in Pakistan was severely impacted by the devastating floods and the economic crisis. Dwindling consumer purchasing power, supply chain disruptions, reduced agriculture output, weak lending activity by commercial banks and currency…
Retail in Myanmar witnessed double-digit growth in current value terms in 2022 but this was largely driven by high inflation and the depreciation of the local currency exchange rate. Households became more price sensitive amidst declining purchasing…
Inflation remains high, making imported goods more expensive for consumers and restricting purchases of non-essentials, despite a degree of post-COVID-19 recovery. Retailing remains underdeveloped, with informal retailing dominant and benefiting from…
Kazakhstan has strong trade links with Russia in particular and its war in Ukraine negatively impacted the economy and led to high inflation. While skyrocketing international oil and gas prices boosted the local economy, its usual outflow to the…
The reopening of society after the pandemic is beneficial for Cambodia retail. While the majority of consumers still shop in traditional outlets, the retail landscape in developed cities is being modernised. This is driven by a growing number of…
Retail generated positive growth in 2022 despite high inflation and pressure on consumer spending. Higher levels of investment from key players boosted chained grocery retailing and e-commerce as consumers become more accustomed to more modern and…
Following the adverse impact of the COVID-19 pandemic that caused oil prices to collapse in 2020 and annual real GDP to contract by 4.2% in 2020, the Azerbaijani economy rebounded strongly and grew by 5.6% in annual real terms in 2021. This is partly…
In 2022, retail e-commerce continued to gain significant value share in Uzbekistan. However, its penetration level still lagged behind neighbouring countries such as Kazakhstan. Several factors hindered the further development of retail e-commerce in…
Clicky, a fast-fashion e-commerce platform focused on apparel, footwear and accessories, has received investments from notable investors such as Fatima Ventures and Souq, a UAE-based company that was later acquired by Amazon. In December 2021, the…
E-commerce continued to grow but at a slower rate, partly due to the geopolitical situation. The war in Ukraine has resulted in supply chain disruptions, higher transportation tariffs and high inflation also higher prices for imports, due to currency…
In 2022 e-commerce penetration in Azerbaijan remained low though the channel continued to enjoy rapid and robust growth, gaining significant value share. Some consumers switched to purchasing groceries via e-commerce during the pandemic. However,…
Bazaars remain a favourite shopping channel for non-grocery products. Low-income shoppers, tourists, and anyone looking for a wide variety of items that they can negotiate prices on all frequently turn to bazaars. The abundance of products and the…
In 2022, rising inflation rates and the increasing cost of living had a significant impact on spending in non-grocery retail, in constant terms. The channels that were most affected were home improvement stores, followed by apparel and footwear…
In spite of high inflation caused by the war in nearby Ukraine and ensuing economic uncertainty, non-grocery retailers registered a slight increase in constant value sales in 2022. The return of foot traffic, post pandemic lockdowns, helped…
2022 saw the fuller return of consumers to offline shopping in Azerbaijan. Following two years of the COVID-19 pandemic and its related lockdowns and restrictions, local consumers prioritised store-based outlets in 2022, and visited shopping malls…
Although modern trade formats continue to increase their value share in 2022, bazaars are still the dominant grocery retailing channel due in part to the fact that bazaars have a well-established place in Uzbekistani culture, with consumers being…
In 2020, the IMF discontinued funding for Pakistan as the country failed to implement policies regarding taxes and price increases on energy, which worsened Pakistan's economic woes in 2022, resulting in unstable economic and political policies.…
Kazakhstan has strong trade links with Russia in particular and its war in Ukraine negatively impacted the economy and led to high inflation. While skyrocketing international oil and gas prices boosted the local economy, its usual outflow to the…
Modern grocery retailers continued to outperform traditional retailers in terms of growth in Azerbaijan in 2022, gaining value share in a trend that is set to persist. This expansion is supported by ongoing urbanisation and investment in the…
Direct selling re-emerged during the review period, following many years of absence from Uzbekistan. Following poor performances, most companies had exited this channel prior to the review period in 2012, due to tightening restrictions, including…
Despite growing consumer awareness and the presence of questionable brands and products in the direct selling channel, the channel continues to remain relevant, particularly in rural areas where malls and shopping centres are fewer in number. In…
Direct selling registered constant value growth in 2022, in spite of high inflation, which was mainly caused by the war in Ukraine. With concerns surrounding COVID-19 putting a spotlight on the concept of preventive health, many Kazakhstanis have…
Direct selling saw sales boosted during the pandemic, and the impact has persisted post-pandemic, with growth accelerating again in 2022 after a slowdown in 2021 The channel remains far from saturation or maturity. The key factors driving the…
This report examines inflation levels and drivers globally and in key countries. In 2023, global inflation is expected to ease from its peak in 2022, but remaining significantly above-trend. Geopolitical risks and uncertainty in the energy market are…
Now in its seventh edition, this report explores the top digital shopper trends that will redefine commerce the most in the year ahead. Some of the trends included in this edition touch on topics such as second-hand shopping, community group buying,…
This report examines e-commerce usage and revenue share from e-commerce in different industries and countries. The e-commerce index helps to better understand which industries are leading and identify key success factors. The briefing also analysis…
This report examines inflation levels and drivers globally and in key countries. Global inflation is reaching a peak, although geopolitical risks and uncertainty in the energy market remain key risks. The impact varies between countries, with…
This report examines inflation levels and drivers globally and in key countries. Global inflation is reaching a peak, although geopolitical risks and uncertainty in the energy market remain key risks. The impact varies between countries, with…
The briefing examines how retail and wholesale industry performs globally and in the largest countries in terms of retail and wholesale output. The report also provides data for production, imports, exports, industry’s costs, industry’s profitability…
The report examines inflation level and drivers globally and in the key countries. Global inflation is forecast to accelerate due to higher energy and commodity prices, disruptions in supply chains and weaker business confidence. Impact varies…
Technological advances in 2022 will continue to reshape shopping behaviour for digitally-savvy consumers. This report explores the top five tech-driven trends expected to reshape commerce the most in the year ahead. Some of the trends included in…