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.
After two years of decline, health and beauty specialists in Taiwan experienced a significant resurgence in 2022, a trend that continued into 2023. With the easing of pandemic restrictions and the removal of mask mandates, consumers eagerly returned…
Health and beauty specialists saw fairly static outlet numbers in South Korea in 2023, after several years of decline, but saw a second year of growth in current value terms. The largest channel in value terms, pharmacies, maintained growth in South…
Similar to other retail channels such as apparel and footwear specialists, beauty specialists in Singapore benefited from the resumption of pre-pandemic lifestyles, such as a return to the office, social activities and international travel. With…
Guardian continued to lead health and beauty specialists overall in 2023, as well as health and personal care stores, with Watsons as its closest competitor at number two in both cases. These players are key contributors to the segment’s growth in…
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…
Health and beauty specialists saw current value growth in Indonesia in 2023. Beauty shops such as Sephora, Guardian and Sociolla have become well-recognised by consumers. Additionally, these retailers have an extensive omnichannel network through…
Health and beauty specialists maintained double-digit current value growth in India in 2023, with increases seen across all channels. The strongest value growth was seen by beauty specialists, with sales finally returning to the pre-pandemic (2019)…
Health and beauty specialists saw another year of current value growth in Hong Kong in 2023. One of the players driving growth was Sa Sa International, the leading player in beauty specialists in Hong Kong. It reported that its sales in Hong Kong and…
In 2023, overall health and beauty specialists saw a steady increase in current value terms and in terms of outlet numbers compared with 2022 in China. Positive current value growth was achieved across all channels, including pharmacies, despite the…
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…
General merchandise stores in Vietnam benefitted from increased inbound tourist flows in 2023, with Vietnam’s tourism industry continuing to rebound post-pandemic and luring millions of international visitors within the year’s first nine months.…
The general merchandise stores channel in the Philippines, which is dominated by department stores, saw buoyant growth in current value terms in 2023. An increase in mobility, including the return of consumers to their physical offices, contributed…
Variety stores in Thailand saw positive though slowed growth in terms of current value sales in 2023. The segment was hit hard by the pandemic and its economic fallout; many local consumers remained reluctant to shop from variety stores as they…
Following two years of economic downturn, general merchandise stores in Taiwan experienced a remarkable resurgence 2023, witnessing double-digit growth in retail sales. Surpassing the convenience stores channel, general merchandise stores reclaimed…
General merchandise stores maintained growth in both outlet numbers and current value sales in South Korea in 2023, with increases seen for both variety stores and department stores, although the latter remained by far the larger channel. Department…
Variety stores in Singapore continued to record solid growth in 2023, driven by the rising cost-of-living pressures, which were a key area of concern for local consumers. Amid a muted economic climate, and rising prices as a result of inflation and…
In line with global trends, department stores in Malaysia are losing appeal due to growing interest in fast-fashion retailers such as H&M, Zara, Uniqlo, and Padini which offer the latest fashions at relatively affordable prices. Small boutique stores…
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…
General merchandise stores registered current value growth in Indonesia in 2023. Since the onset of the COVID-19 crisis, consumer behaviour has changed rapidly. People are getting used to purchasing products online, which has diversified their…
General merchandise stores maintained dynamic double-digit current value growth in India in 2023, and finally saw the recovery of its sales to the pre-pandemic level. Growth was also seen in outlet numbers, which rose to over 4,000 stores, all of…
General merchandise stores saw a second year of double-digit current value growth in Hong Kong in 2023, finally recovering to the pre-pandemic (2019) level of sales, after disruption due to the loss of tourist flows. Although variety stores saw…
After seeing a notable decline in value sales in 2022 during the waves of COVID-19 across the country, when many consumers lost confidence in spending on non-essential durable goods, general merchandise stores saw a moderate rebound in its sales in…
2023 proved to be a challenging year for discounters in the Philippines, in light of a limited store count and fierce competition with other retailers. With the revival of hectic pre-pandemic lifestyles, including the return of consumers to their…
Discounters remained only a small retail channel in South Korea in 2023, and continued to see a decline in outlet numbers in this year, although returned to slight current value growth. In South Korea, major retailers have embraced private label…
The leading chained players in discounters have been eyeing potential expansion opportunities in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, as the improved situation has made it easier for them to justify greater investment in outlet growth. Players have…
Robust growth momentum was seen for discounters in China in 2023, with increases in both current value terms and in outlet numbers. This was driven by increasing economic uncertainty in the country, which led more Chinese consumers to seek products…
Direct selling declined in terms of current value sales in Vietnam in 2023, with the drop driven by the continued fall of leading brands Herbalife Nutrition, New Image, and Amway as they struggled in the context of global inflationary pressures.…
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…
Following a three-year period of decline, direct selling in the Philippines registered modest growth in current value terms in 2023. The channel suffered losses during the pandemic, when agents were unable to sell to their customers on a face-to-face…
Direct selling in Thailand continued to fall in terms of current value sales in 2023, in a persistent decline that began in 2020 and has not let up since. However, the rate of the drop was significantly slower than in the previous year of 2022. The…
Direct selling companies in Taiwan are undergoing a significant transformation as they adapt to the evolving retail landscape, with a notable trend being the embrace of digital transformation. Recognising the increasing prominence of e-commerce and…
Direct selling saw little movement in its value sales in current terms in South Korea in 2023, with just a slight decline seen. In April 2023, a legal shift unfolded, permitting sponsored direct sellers to engage in non-face-to-face transactions…
2022 was a strong growth year for direct selling in Singapore, due to the resumption of events and pre-pandemic lifestyles, which made it easier for sales agents to conduct outreach and engagement activities. While the channel recorded a marginal…
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 in Malaysia showed resilience during the pandemic, particularly in the case of companies specialising in health and wellness products. Seeking ways to stay healthy, local consumers increasingly turned to health supplements and…
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 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…
Direct selling saw a marked fall in sales in current value terms in Indonesia in 2023. The channel generally struggled during the review period, having been heavily impacted by the COVID-19 crisis. Direct selling was not viable at the height of the…
Direct selling saw solid current value growth in India in 2023, although the rate of increase slowed compared with the previous year, returning to growth similar rates to those seen pre-pandemic. Nevertheless, this was impressive, considering the…
Direct selling returned to growth in current value terms in Hong Kong in 2023. However, during the pandemic the channel saw little disruption compared with many others in retail, holding up relatively well, with only minor declines. Social media…
Several years of current value decline were seen in direct selling in China during the pandemic, as the direct selling business model relies heavily on hosting meetings or gatherings to introduce products and recruit new sales personnel, which was…
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…
2023 saw convenience stores in Vietnam continue to expand rapidly in terms of number of outlets, especially into urban areas, as local lifestyles became increasingly busy. Convenience stores resonate with Gen Z consumers and students, gaining…
Convenience retailers in in the Philippines recorded a dynamic performance in current value terms in 2023, continuing the trend of the previous year. This was largely attributable to the aggressive activities of incumbent players, such as Philippine…
Convenience stores in Thailand continued to recover and rise in 2023, with expansion in terms of outlet numbers a major driver. Rapid urbanisation, longer working hours, and declines in average household size boosted demand for smaller-format stores…
In 2023, convenience stores in Taiwan experienced expansion driven by various factors such as summer travels, festive seasons, typhoons, and back-to-school/work periods, all of which boosted demand for fresh food, coffee, packaged snacks, and…
Convenience retailers maintained dynamic growth in current value terms and in terms of outlet numbers in South Korea in 2023. The number of convenience retailers surpassed 50,000 in 2021, and this figure increased to nearly 60,000 in 2023. The…