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.
Store cards remains a negligible category in the country. The majority of establishments in India tend to offer loyalty cards (these can be used to add and store reward points as credit currency, a simpler solution without the threat of debt…
COVID-19 has had a mixed effect on ready meals packaging. There was a significant spike in demand for frozen ready meals, dried ready meals and shelf stable ready meals in 2020, for example, while demand for chilled ready meals declined in this year.…
Following the outbreak of COVID-19, consumers faced rising uncertainty as to the stability of life in India. Furthermore, consumers saw their movements heavily restricted for much of 2020 due to the implementation of national lockdown measures…
In 2020, there was a spike in demand for oyster sauces and soy sauces, which boosted demand for packaging unit volumes in these product areas. Demand for packaging for both of these products had been either flatlining or even declining in the earlier…
The lockdown imposed in the second quarter of 2021 due to a spike in COVID-19 case numbers once again led to an increase in home-cooking, as seen in previous lockdowns. The increase in home-cooking meant that consumers were looking for novel products…
For extended periods over the last two years (2020 and 2021), consumers in Indonesia have been in home seclusion in order to curb the spread of the COVID-19 virus in the country. As consumers spent more time at home, home cooking became a more…
Consumers spending more time at home, due to COVID-19-related restrictions, such as the shift to remote working and distance learning and the closure of consumer foodservice outlets, was resulting in an increase in home-cooking during the pandemic.…
In contrast to most other ready meal types, demand for chilled ready meals packaging declined during 2020. While chilled ready meals still accounted for the largest share of packaging unit volumes in ready meals, they lost ground to products with a…
The number of packaging units in sauces, dressings and condiments rose for the first time in well over a decade in Japan during 2020. COVID-19 resulted in consumers spending more time at home and cooking and eating more meals there. The pandemic had…
Growth in packaging demand accelerated sharply in ready meals during 2020. COVID-19 led to consumers spending more time at home, while foodservice outlets were forced to close for an extended period. In this context, demand for ready meals grew as an…
The rate of growth in demand for sauces, dressings and condiments packaging accelerated sharply during 2020. Demand for cooking sauces, dry sauces, herbs and spices, and bouillon recorded major spikes in their packaging unit volumes used in this…
The COVID-19 pandemic was beneficial for sales of ready meals in the Philippines during 2020 as the imposition of quarantine lockdowns and the strict approach taken to social distancing and home seclusion meant that many consumers spent much of their…
Sauces, dressing and condiments as a whole as well as most of the product areas within it saw a spike in demand in 2020, when the pandemic hit the country, followed by slower growth in 2021, but generally only moving back into line with the positive…
The COVID-19 pandemic was positive for sales of ready meals in Singapore during 2020 and the uplift seen in sales of ready meals had positive implications for ready meals packaging as well. The main factor supporting rising demand for ready meals was…
2020 saw strong growth in sauces, dressings and condiments packaging as demand for many of these products spiked due to the huge shift towards preparing meals from scratch at home, rather than dining out in consumer foodservice outlets. The harsh…
With many consumers spending more time at home due to the pandemic, the home cooking trend was bolstered in 2020. This led to a decline in ready meals packaging volumes in 2019-2020 as more people cooked from scratch. In 2021, the home cooking trend…
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the consumption of sauces, dressings and condiments in Thailand was minimal, as many of these products are used in small quantities in cooking and to accompany meals, and because they can therefore be used for a…
The packaging unit volumes of thin wall plastic containers used in shelf stable ready meals saw notable growth in 2020, with slower but still positive growth being seen in 2021. This can be attributed to the onset of the pandemic and related…
In line with the continuing home-cooking trend, the packaging unit volumes of aluminium/plastic pouches and glass jars used in cooking sauces rose notably in 2020, with further growth in 2021. However, growth slowed in the latter year as some…
While consumption of shelf stable ready meals continued to increase in both 2020 and 2021, growth in this category was curbed due to the surging interest in cooking meals at home from scratch using fresh ingredients that has been seen among the…
Fish sauces, considered an essential among many households in Vietnam, continued to see positive growth in 2020 and 2021, supported by foodservice closures, which increased the frequency of home cooking. Of its two pack types, glass bottles is faring…
Cider/perry held only a negligible presence in India in 2021. Given the country’s hot climate and interest in sparkling drinks it would suggest there is a potential market for these products, although currently cider/perry is only being produced on a…
Asian speciality drinks was well-positioned to benefit from the increased focus on health brought about by COVID-19. However, most of these products are also available in liquid concentrate format. With consumers staying at home, off-trade volume…
Sales of Asian speciality drinks in South Korea continue to grow in 2022 as consumers look for perceived healthier drink options. In addition to the longer-term pursuit of healthier lifestyles, the pandemic encouraged local consumers to seek clear…
The US’s large military presence on Guam makes the territory a target for attacks by nations looking to lower US power in Asia Pacific. Guam is highly reliant on US federal funding, exposing the territory to changes in US military spending. Tourism…
As charge cards caters to higher-income earners, it is still only small in the Philippines in 2022. Credit cards have low penetration in the country and it is thus to be expected that more premium card products will have an even smaller market. Even…
Store cards are not available in Taiwan. Hypermarket chain Carrefour was the last retailer to offer such cards and it ceased its operations in 2005. A trend towards alternative payment options such as digital wallets and the widespread popularity of…
American Express signed a partnership with Vietnam JSC Bank for Industry & Trade (Vietinbank) in 2021 to increase acceptance of its cards in Vietnam. However, charge cards are not issued in Vietnam and there is unlikely to be any significant demand…
Store cards have a negligible presence in Vietnam with there being little interest or awareness of these card products. Furthermore, the government strictly controls the supply of credit in Vietnam which makes it a complicated and lengthy process to…
Nauru’s political landscape is stable, but is sometimes autocratic in nature. The country’s biggest challenge is to diversify the economy away from phosphate production. Nevertheless, planned infrastructure projects could enhance Nauru’s appeal. Its…
Political upheaval has been caused by transitioning to a new constitution, whilst economic freedom is suppressed, given ineffective observance of the rule of law. The economy could outperform peers, owing to strength in agriculture and greater…
Significant divisions exist between New Caledonia’s indigenous population and its European counterparts, creating political instability. Substantial reliance on nickel is a risk for the economy, which was in recession in 2020. The prospect of…
Authoritarian rule has created political stability in Tajikistan, but economic freedom has suffered as a result. The economy is expected to outperform peers in the short term, but a narrow export base creates risks for the external sector. Tajikistan…
There were no self-service cafeterias operating in the Philippines at the end of the review period and in 2021.
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…
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…
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 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…
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…
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…
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.…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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 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,…
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…
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…