Asia Pacific

Chocolate confectionery is expected to register healthy volume and constant value growth in 2023, despite continuing economic uncertainty. Azerbaijan’s high energy export revenue should protect the economy to an extent. That being said, inflation is…

Chocolate confectionery in China saw solid retail current value growth in 2023, and this trend is expected to be maintained in 2024. Beyond the traditional formats, chocolate confectionery continues to evolve in terms of textures and tastes. First,…

Hong Kong consumers are becoming more adventurous in their search for new taste experiences, and players are finding ways to cater to consumers’ expanding palate in chocolate confectionery. For example, in late 2022, Hong Kong’s dominant distribution…

The per capita consumption of chocolate confectionery in India in 2023 is only 7% of consumption in the US and 10% of consumption in the UK. Generally, chocolate confectionery in India has limited mind space association, primarily focused on gifting,…

Digital marketing has emerged as one of the most effective methods to boost chocolate confectionery sales in Indonesia, amidst a growing number of tech-savvy consumers in the country. One of the main advantages of digital marketing is the ability to…

Since 2022, chocolate confectionery in Japan has seen a steady rise in the unit price per kilogram, and this trend is anticipated to persist in 2024. Increasing prices are largely attributed to the premiumisation of confectionery, which began around…

In 2023, the chocolate confectionery category is set to see a slight recovery after a drop in sales in the previous year. The main reason for the poor performance in 2022 was problems with the supply of products, as well as raw materials for local…

2023 is seeing innovative product development proving to be a significant driver of demand for countlines and chocolate pouches and bags in chocolate confectionery in Malaysia. Among the key players, Nestlé is showing a particular focus on…

Demand for chocolate confectionery in Pakistan remains robust in 2023, despite the every-increasing rate of inflation. Soaring raw material and production costs are forcing manufacturers to look at ways to reduce unit costs. Many have shifted towards…

With the rising cost of raw materials for chocolate confectionery, such as dairy ingredients, cocoa beans, sugar, and oil, many brands are actively seeking ways to improve their profit margins, such as reducing production costs by pushing product…

Chocolate confectionery in South Korea is expected to see low retail current value growth in 2024, along with marginal retail volume decline. Mixed developments are being seen in 2024, influenced by broader market trends and changing consumer…

Consumer demand for chocolate confectionery has stabilised in 2023, with consumption shifting from bulk purchases in supermarkets to impulse small packs in convenience stores. Overall, volume sales of chocolate confectionery are nearing pre-COVID…

Thailand has returned to normality in 2023, following the restrictions created by the COVID-19 pandemic. Consumers have returned to out-of-home, on-the-go lifestyles, along with a large number of tourists visiting the country. As such, this revival…

Sales of chocolate confectionery remained stable during 2020 and 2021 as sales benefited from robust at-home consumption during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the category has seen stronger growth in 2022 and 2023 with demand picking up as…

Rising inflation has been denting households’ purchasing power and consumer spending in 2023. Nevertheless, despite certain shifts in consumer behaviour, willingness to spend on chocolate confectionery is still rising in 2023, and retail volume sales…

Chocolate confectionery saw a slowdown in demand in retail volume terms in 2023, thanks to inflationary pressures, which had a negative impact on purchasing power. As a result, consumers had less disposable income to spend on non-essential items,…

While gum is expected to register a slight increase in constant value sales, in spite of high inflation, volume sales are expected to fall. Gum is gradually losing popularity and it increasingly gets bad press. It is seen as being bad for the…

After a year of strong retail current value decline in 2022, gum in China returned to growth in 2023, and recovery is expected to continue in 2024. Both chewing gum and bubble gum saw the same trend of decline followed by rebound. However, the upward…

The COVID-19 pandemic had a negative impact on sales of gum, and made its recovery protracted. However, starting from the second half of 2022, people started to return to their normal social life, leading to an increasing number of occasions for…

The demand for gum, namely chewing gum and bubble gum, remains relatively muted in 2023. A large proportion of gum purchases are impulse in nature and low-ticket price purchases. Most purchases of gum tend to be made from small local grocers, and are…

Distribution channels play a crucial role in sales of gum, ensuring on-the-go and impulse purchase accessibility for consumers. Supermarkets and hypermarkets have long been the primary sales points for gum, offering a wide variety of options for…

Gum in Japan is set to see a second year of slight retail volume growth and stronger current value growth in 2024, in a rebound after a period of decline in volume terms. At the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak, chewing gum (the dominant category)…

In 2023, the gum category is set to see a slight increase in volume terms. This is due to the fact that the impact of the COVID-19 crisis has waned and the population has returned to a more normal lifestyle. In this context, with much higher levels…

As volume sales continue to decline dramatically across both chewing gum and bubble gum, the growth of chewing gum in Malaysia has slowed down slightly in current value terms in 2023 when compared to the previous year. A key contributing factor to…

There has been a shift in consumption patterns in Pakistan, as rapid urbanization and exposure to western cultures has filtered into Pakistan. The introduction of a variety of flavours and sugar-free gum options is expanding the appeal of chewing…

Historically, gum experienced long-term stagnation or decline, with even more significant falls in sales seen during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, sales of gum in South Korea saw a resurgence in 2023 following the end of the pandemic, and growth is…

Gum sales have been recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic since the third quarter of 2022. During this period, consumers started venturing out of their homes and returning to their normal daily activities. In December 2022, the Taiwanese government…

Gum in Thailand is a relatively mature category, which is largely consolidated between brands Dentyne (Mondelez International (Thailand) Co Ltd) and Lotte (Thai Lotte Co Ltd); meanwhile, Mondelez also distributes the Trident and Clorets brands…

It has been a challenging few years for sales of gum in the Philippines. The discretionary character of gum makes it is easy for consumers to sacrifice gum, especially if they have limited finances, which many have as a result of the economic impact…

After seeing a retail volume decline in 2020 during the first year of the pandemic, gum returned to growth, and this is set to continue in 2023 as impulse consumption occasions continue to return. Although volume sales are set to rise, current value…

Retail sales of gum continued to see positive growth in volume terms in 2023, albeit at a lower rate than the previous year. Demand was impacted by rising Inflation, which led consumers to become more frugal with their spending and prioritise…

Ice cream is expected to register moderate constant value growth and modest volume growth in 2023. The extent of volume growth will also be dependent on high temperatures are during the summer. Inflation is expected to still be an issue, though its…

After experiencing rapid growth in 2021 and 2022, retail current value sales of ice cream in China saw a significant decline in 2023. Several factors contributed to this downturn. Compared with 2022, there were fewer days with high temperatures,…

In Hong Kong, the impact of COVID-19 began to diminish in the second half of 2022, and so did the craving for ice cream as eating habits changed. In particular, take-home ice cream witnessed a stronger decline compared with impulse ice cream in this…

2022 was exceptional for ice cream, with year-on-year value growth of 38% compared to 2021. This was because of extreme hot weather combined with pent-up demand. According to IMD (Indian Metrological Department), India had one of the hottest summers…

Unilever Indonesia Tbk PT is the leading player in 2023, holding just under half of all company shares. The company’s success is thanks to its overall ice cream portfolio, including brands such as Paddle Pop, Wall’s, Cornetto, Magnum, and Feast.…

Ice cream in Japan is set to see minimal retail volume growth along with dynamic current value growth in 2024. Amidst rising domestic demand for dairy products, ice cream experienced several price increases during the review period due to stagnant…

The ice cream category is continuing its recovery from the negative effects of the COVID-19 crisis. Sales volumes are returning to normal pre-pandemic patterns. In 2022, the category grew both in volume and value terms. Value sales showed a markedly…

Ice cream volume sales in foodservice are outpacing those within retail in Malaysia in 2023, with the latter in decline, indicating a significant change in consumer behaviour. With the pandemic lockdown lifted in 2022, consumers resumed dining out in…

In 2022, there was a major shift towards ice cream parlours in the urban and metropolitan cities of Pakistan. However, the import ban placed on luxury goods hit imported ice cream hard in this year, with ice cream parlours forced to close for some…

Demand for ice cream is expected to continue growing in both retail volume and current value terms in 2023, driven by consumers’ desire for indulgence, yet growth is set to be at more moderate rates than in 2022. In retail volume terms, apart from…

In 2024, ice cream in South Korea is expected to see trends similar to the previous year, with low retail volume growth and more dynamic current value growth. Consumer spending patterns reflect a growing preference for premium and healthier ice cream…

Ice cream is seeing a noticeable slowdown in retail volume and current value sales in 2023, with sales normalising in foodservice following a strong year in 2022. Although single-portion ice cream sold in convenience stores has experienced a full…

The reopening of society after the era of pandemic restrictions has led to a revival in impulse ice cream, along with single portion options, which are best suited to on-the-go consumer lifestyles and impulse purchases overall. Additionally, this is…

Ice cream suffered heavy losses in 2020 following the outbreak of COVID-19 and the introduction of restrictions, but the category has since been on the path to recovery. This began in 2021 as sales were boosted by e-commerce and continued into 2022…

With the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions and the return to everyday routines, ice cream returned to growth, and 2023 is set to see an even stronger retail volume increase than 2022, and maintain double-digit current value growth. With hot summers,…

Ice cream saw a second year of positive volume growth in 2023, albeit at a slower rate than the previous year. As in 2022, Foodservice sales saw a more buoyant demand, thanks to the return of international tourism to Vietnam, following several years…

Savoury snacks is expected to register healthy volume and constant value growth in 2023, despite continuing economic uncertainty. That being said, inflation is expected to still be an issue, though its growth is expected to ease slightly in 2023. As…

Savoury snacks in China is set to see a slowdown in retail current value growth in 2024, even though the growth rate in 2023 was already minimal. Overall economic slowdown in China and increasing uncertainty about the future have driven consumers…

Potato chips remained one of the most popular savoury snacks amongst consumers in Hong Kong in 2022, experiencing a steady increase in retail volume terms, which was primarily attributed to the growing prevalence of snacking occasions, such as the…