Asia Pacific

As of May 2020, Euromonitor International has further downgraded the baseline global real GDP growth forecast for 2020 to a range of -4.0% to -1.5. Advanced economies are expected to be the hardest hit in this recession, with their economic activity…

Asia Pacific is under the spotlight as a high-potential region, particularly for the nascent cooking ingredients and meals categories. Competition is intensifying as consumers have more options for meals than ever before outside of the home, driving…

To help companies understand which categories are most primed for sustained e-commerce growth post-pandemic, Euromonitor developed the E-Commerce Readiness Model. This tool uses analytic modelling to determine which countries and categories have the…

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has triggered the most severe global recession in nearly a century. Businesses are operating in a world of anxieties and uncertainties, not knowing what will be the new normal or when output and consumer spending…

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has triggered the most severe global recession since World War II. In Q4 2020, the end of the pandemic started as countries began administering effective vaccines among the population; however, vaccine distribution…

The digital revolution has been rewiring retail for years, leading to new business models, commerce ecosystems and channels for reaching and engaging consumers. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated this transition, as e-commerce became the default…

The global outlook has improved as of Q1 2021, thanks to vaccination progress in many developed countries. Nevertheless, the recovery prospects remain distant for most economies in the face of the spread of new, more infectious variants of the virus.…

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about significant changes in business models and consumer behaviour, as well as altering the ways and the geography many of us live, work, study and play. Understanding what changes will stick after the pandemic…

As consumers prepare fewer meals overall, while demanding more assistance for the ones they do, spending and brand equity will accrue to those companies providing fresh prepared meals on demand, from delivery aggregators to retailers, restaurant…

The next billion consumers represent new growth opportunities worth trillions of dollars in consumer spending across the globe. However, the next billion consumers are not a monolithic cohort, as they vary hugely from market to market. In order to…

In the two years since the onset of COVID-19, eating and drinking at home have evolved significantly in Asia Pacific. The roads to recovery remain divergent, with some markets on track and laggards shrouded with uncertainty, amplifying the need for…

Consumers cooking and eating more at home due to Coronavirus (COVID-19) helped drive retail sales of edible oils in Asia Pacific in 2020. Although growth slowed, it still moved ahead at a healthy rate in real value terms in 2021, albeit partly down…

Wellness has been identified by Euromonitor International as having the furthest-reaching impact on industries and consumers in the future. This report looks at the link between rising longevity and consumers’ search for a healthy life and highlights…

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…

Growth in meals and soups spiked in 2020, when consumers were looking for easy meal solutions during the long periods they were spending at home due to the pandemic. Further healthy growth rates were also seen in 2021 and 2022, even as many consumers…

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 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…

Plant-based alternatives are in emerging stages in Asia and set to gain traction. Companies must navigate the unique perception of meat and dairy in this region to introduce plant-based products that match consumer expectations of nutrition, taste…

The Asian consumer is changing. Traditional values that served the collective in terms of both society and the family are on the wane, with COVID-19 lockdowns accelerating a new focus on individualism and the self. This report explores how Asian…

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.…

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…

Older adults are a key consumer group, as companies explore opportunities in the context of an ageing population across Asia Pacific markets. This report investigates the evolving consumption habits not only of senior consumers, but also of those…

In 2023, overall cooking ingredients and meals is expected to see retail volume and current value declines. This is primarily due to the Chinese government’s removal of the zero-COVID policy at the end of 2022. With no more lockdown measures in…

There have been surges in raw material prices for cooking ingredients and meals in South Korea, primarily attributed to climate change and geopolitical issues, which are further pushing up the average unit price. This has created an upward trajectory…

Inflationary pressures continue in 2023, however, we are seeing an overall resilience in cooking ingredients and meals in the Philippines – in both value and volume terms, variably. Shortages in raw materials continue to affect some categories, such…

Retail value growth is stronger than volume in cooking ingredients and meals in Vietnam, due to inflationary pressures pushing up unit prices. That said, despite these economic pressures, volume growth is also relatively stable. We also note that…

In 2023, overall demand for retail edible oils in China has weakened compared with 2022, with the expected volume and current value declines in this year primarily driven by the resumption of normal activities post-pandemic. Towards the end of 2022…

In 2023, the global supply chain of edible oil raw materials has faced significant disruptions due to climate change and geopolitical complexities, impacting availability in South Korea. The country's reliance on external sources has made it…

Edible oils continues to face challenges connected to inflationary pressures and supply chain restrictions, which are affecting different edible oils in different ways. For example, inflationary pressures are boosting value growth due to an increase…

Edible oils continues to face challenges caused by shortages of raw materials and supply chain disruptions, along with climatic impacts. As such and added to inflationary pressures, this is pushing up prices and supporting value sales, while retail…

Meals and soups is set to see a noticeable slowdown in its retail current value growth rate in 2023 compared with 2022, and is expected to turn to retail volume decline. The primary reason for this is the removal of the zero-COVID policy, which has…

Category players are customising their products to cater for various formats demanded by consumers sensitive to new lifestyle trends, such as South Korea's millennials and Generation Z, to maximise convenience. For instance, one of the habits among…

The performance of meals and soups is being supported by consumers’ return to busy lifestyles, thus leading to a higher demand for convenience. Indeed, at the end of a busy workday, people seek easy, quick, and convenient ways to prepare their meals…

Ready meals is seeing healthy retail sales in both volume and value terms. Overall, sales are being driven by consumers’ demand for convenience, as people have returned to their busy lifestyles – especially so in the large cities – whereby they have…

In 2023, sauces, dips and condiments is set to turn to decline in retail volume and current value terms. This is primarily due to the Chinese government’s lifting of the zero-COVID policy in 2022. With no more lockdown measures in place, consumers’…

Post-pandemic, packaged food players are making efforts to meet various consumer needs due to the increasing preference for home-cooked meals. This movement involves developing and launching multiple food products in various formats. For example,…

Whilst consumers have indeed been returning to foodservice channels, a trend for home-cooking maintains, thus supporting sales in sauces, dips, and condiments – in both value and volume terms. Various sauces and bouillon are popular ingredients in…

The reduced-salt trend, as backed by the government, is influencing patterns in sauces, dips, and condiments. According to reports from the Ministry of Health, Vietnamese consumers are cited to eat an average of 9.4g per day of salt, compared to the…

In 2022, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the corresponding lockdown measures, which affected consumers’ in-store shopping, and led to disruptions in product transportation for e-commerce platforms, sweet spreads experienced retail volume and current…

Alongside the home café trend, a notable shift has occurred in bakery products, transcending the long-held bias that bread cannot serve as a meal replacement - often referred to as the “breadcrumbs prejudice”. This shift emphasises the savoury,…

Sweet spreads is benefitting from consumers’ return to out-of-home lifestyles, notably with children back to school and employees back to work. In this sense, chocolate spreads and nut and seed based spreads are seeing healthy volume and value…

Healthy eating trends are influencing sweet sauces, such as seen with the rising popularity of nut and seed based spreads, as evidenced by the subcategory showing the most robust value growth and with volume also on an upwards trajectory. A further…

Cooking ingredients and meals is witnessing greater stability in 2023 following the price shocks of 2022, which created much upheaval for the category. There was a significant increase in prices across the cooking ingredients and meals category in…

In 2023, a surge in living costs has driven price increases of 20-60% in cooking ingredients. As a result, demand has declined, especially among lower-middle-income consumers. To combat this, manufacturers have been focusing on smaller packs. On a…

The cooking ingredients and meals market in Kazakhstan has almost fully recovered from the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2023, inflation in the country slowed and prices declined in a number of categories compared to 2022, including…

Consumers continued to dine out more often in the aftermath of the COVID-19 crisis in 2023 as the return to busy lifestyles left them with limited time to cook from scratch at home and drove down in-home consumption. However, consumers continued to…

The cooking ingredients and meals industry in Pakistan is navigating a challenging landscape shaped by inflationary pressures. As inflation rises, consumers are becoming increasingly price-sensitive, prompting a shift towards more cost-effective…

Cooking ingredients and meals has almost completely recovered from the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2023. At the same time, it is being affected by geopolitical changes in the region caused by the war in Ukraine. In 2023, inflation in…

In 2023, sunflower oil is witnessing moderate growth in retail volume terms compared to 2022 as unit prices fall. By some distance, it is the largest type of edible oil and is traditionally the cheapest oil per unit in Azerbaijan. The decrease in…