Asia Pacific

While growth for vacuum cleaners increased during the pandemic due to the unavailability of domestic workers, demand for the category slowed considerably in 2023 due to inflationary pressures and the return of hired help. In India, there is a…

Vending machines have a significant presence in Japan, and have been part of the local culture for decades. Vending is a contactless, unmanned, compact, and convenient way of shopping. Although sales declined during the pandemic, a rebound was seen…

In 2022, due to the resurgence of COVID-19 and the implementation of lockdowns, offline businesses were severely impacted, leading to a significant reduction in traffic and a high-single-digit decline in retail value sales of cafés/bars. Nonetheless,…

The cannabis market has experienced significant turmoil due to uncertainties arising from the actions of the Thai Government. Subsequently, there was a noticeable decline in consumer confidence in legal cannabis consumption in 2023. While demand…

In the context of foodservice by location in 2023, there was a noticeable increase in the proportion of dining within retail, travel, leisure, and lodging locations compared with 2022. The primary reason for this shift was the impact of COVID-related…

In 2023, consumer foodservice in China saw a robust recovery in terms of value sales and transaction volumes, benefiting from the relatively low base of 2022, when consumer foodservice outlets were severely negatively impacted by prolonged periods of…

In 2023, full-service restaurants rebounded from the COVID-19 lockdowns experienced in 2022. However, there was a decline in the spend per transaction during the year, which can primarily be attributed to the overall economic downturn. The…

In 2023, limited-service restaurants in China saw a robust recovery in terms of both value sales and volume transactions, benefiting from the relatively low base of 2022, when consumer foodservice establishments were considerably impacted by…

In 2023, self-service restaurants experienced a revival of its growth rate, following the challenges posed by the COVID-19 lockdown the previous year. However, the average spend per transaction continued to decline, which was primarily linked to the…

Street stalls/kiosks benefited from the normalisation of consumers’ daily routine outside of the home in 2023, with chained tea street stalls leading the surge. While other formats of street stalls/kiosks, such as those offering braised snacks, fried…

Cafés/bars saw another year of buoyant growth in current value terms in 2023, with independent outlets leading the way. This was consistent with the developing coffee drinking culture in the country, as consumers sought out visually appealing venues…

During 2023, cafés/bars recorded solid growth in terms of both current value and volume of transactions. This was driven to a large extent by an increase in consumer mobility, with locals being keen to make up for the time lost during the pandemic.…

The Indonesian tourism industry experienced a strong rebound in 2023, and this served to boost the number of transactions made in travel, lodging and leisure locations. According to official sources, more than 11 million international tourists…

Consumer foodservice through retail saw a strong performance in 2023, both in terms of current value growth and number of transactions. Sales were boosted by an increase in footfall in shopping malls and other retail establishments., as consumer…

Consumer foodservice in Indonesia saw another year of positive growth in 2023, although current value sales remained well below pre-pandemic levels. Demand slumped in 2020, as the Community Activities Restrictions Enforcement (PPKM) put in place to…

Despite persisting inflationary pressures, consumer foodservice in the Philippines recorded healthy growth in terms of current value and number of transactions in 2023, with the strong recovery of the economy being one of the main contributors to…

Full-service restaurants in Indonesia can generally be divided into two segments. The first refers to fine dining establishments with elaborately decorated interiors and higher-priced food menus, which cater to more affluent consumers. The other…

Full-service restaurants sustained positive growth in current value terms in 2023, albeit at a slower rate than the previous year. This was partially due to the normalisation of consumer behaviour, following the eat-in boom experienced in the…

Limited-service restaurants in Indonesia saw an impressive performance in 2023, with current value sales exceeding pre-pandemic levels. Growth was boosted by an increase in mobility, including the return of Indonesians to their physical offices, as…

Limited-service restaurants managed to sustain a strong performance in current value terms in 2023, although the rate of growth was slower than the previous year. This was a result of the normalisation of behaviour in the aftermath of the pandemic,…

Self-service cafeterias registered a stagnant performance in Indonesia in current value terms in 2023. With a high proportion of these outlets typically located in hypermarkets, the performance of the category is heavily dependent on this retail…

Street stalls/kiosks saw a second year of double-digit growth in current value terms in 2023. These small booths typically targeted low- to middle-income consumers, who remained highly price sensitive. With the return of on-site working and…

Street stalls/kiosks continued to experience buoyant growth in current value terms in 2023. Sales were boosted by an increase in foot traffic in shopping malls, where a high number of chained outlets are located. Standalone stalls also benefited from…

Overall egg consumption in Thailand continued along its upward trajectory in 2023. Recognising the nutritional benefits of eggs, the government has been actively promoting egg consumption among the local population. The Ministry of Public Health has…

2023 saw unit prices in fish and seafood in Thailand rise substantially, thanks mainly to persistent price hikes in fuel and energy. As these costs kept climbing, they directly impacted fishing operations, processing, transportation and storage, and…

In 2023 fresh food consumption in Thailand saw an uptick, with several foods benefitting considerably from amplified focus on protein consumption as well as from broader health and wellness trends. Rising awareness of the importance of healthy habits…

As seen in other fresh food categories, fruits in Thailand has been subject to steep surges in unit prices in response to rising production costs and unpredictable fluctuations in weather conditions. The war in Ukraine has disrupted the supply chain…

As the pandemic and its impact on lifestyles continued to recede 2023, with local consumers resuming pre-coronavirus patterns and habits, meat consumption rose considerably, with beef benefitting from increased consumer spending on dining out and the…

The price of coconuts continued to fall in 2023, with domestic demand yet to recover to pre-pandemic levels. Coconuts, as well as foods and beverages with coconuts as an ingredient, are popular among both local consumers and tourists. With the…

The price of soybeans has seen a continuous surge since 2020 in response to persistently rising demand, with domestic output declining during the latter years of the review period. The retail consumption of soybeans and other soybean byproducts, such…

The unit prices of starchy roots increased significantly throughout 2022 and 2023 due to constant rises in the costs of production and unfavourable weather conditions throughout the year. Like other fresh food categories, the farming and production…

Hikes in production costs have pushed up prices of sugar and sweeteners in Thailand. Retail prices rose throughout 2023, continuing a trend that began at the outbreak of COVID-19. Thailand's farmers and agricultural producers were threatened by the…

Vegetables in Thailand saw a notable and sustained increase in unit prices throughout 2022 and 2023, primarily attributed to the combined impact of drought and severe flooding. Drought conditions have resulted in reduced water availability for…

In 2023, card lending - driven by increasing credit card adoption in India - remained the dominant category within consumer credit in gross lending terms. The adoption of credit cards further increased during the year, primarily as consumers’…

Consumer lending is growing at a healthy pace in India, driven by evolving lifestyle preferences where consumers strive for a higher standard of living and access to modern amenities. The country’s growing economy, rising disposable incomes, and…

In 2023, retail value sales of cooking ingredients and meals in India displayed high growth following the stabilisation of edible oils, the high value growth of ready meals, and a stable performance by mature categories such as sauce, dips and…

Retail volume sales of edible oils in India suffered in 2021 and the first half of 2022 due to disrupted global supply chains and high global inflation. Since India imports more than 50% of its edible oil requirements, there were spikes in retail…

The per capita consumption of ready meals in India in 2023 remained fairly low compared to the average in Asia Pacific. This modest figure can be attributed to limited market penetration and association of limited consumption occasions. Ready meals…

In line with increasing at-home entertainment options, the frequency of snacking and consuming small meals has increased, thereby benefiting sauces, dips and condiments in India. According to Euromonitor International’s Voice of the Consumer:…

The growth of convenient Western breakfasts such as bread, buns, and breakfast cereals in India has emerged as a pivotal driver for the rising popularity of sweet spreads, including chocolate spreads, jams, and nut and seed based spreads. The…

In 2023, retail sales of air care products continued to grow in both volume and value. The annual sales growth rate in 2023 rebounded compared to the pandemic years from 2020 to 2022, although achieving the near double-digit annual sales growth rates…

Air care is seeing fair growth, which is attributed to the ongoing growth of urbanisation in Indonesia. Electric air fresheners is seeing the strongest sales, achieving double-digit value growth in 2023. This underscores a shifting preference among…

Air care had been seeing steady growth in value sales in the pre-pandemic years, and in 2020, when the pandemic hit Japan, there was further significant growth. As interest in indoor air quality improved along with much more time spent at home and…

Air care maintained retail volume and current value growth in 2023, with increases seen across all categories. However, car air fresheners saw the strongest increase in this year. Car is the main mode of transportation for locals, and the majority of…

The use of natural ingredients in air care is gaining substantial appeal among consumers in Singapore. This growing trend reflects a shift towards more sustainable and environmentally-friendly choices, aligning with the increasing awareness and…

In 2023, air care witnessed moderate single-digit growth in current value terms, due to the shifting perspective of air care as a component of self-care, particularly among the younger generations. This signifies a departure from viewing air care…

Overall retail volume sales of air care products displayed a modest uptick in 2023. However, this growth narrative unfolded against the backdrop of notable shifts in unit prices. The incremental growth observed in overall volume sales of air care…

Air care saw dynamic retail volume and current value growth in 2023. The discernible surge in sales can be attributed to rising consumer awareness of the health benefits of air care products in the post-COVID-19 era. The COVID-19 pandemic has had a…

Asian speciality drinks is seeing flat off-trade volume growth, due to the category’s performance in relation to unit price hikes. As Asian speciality drinks can be easily replaced by other categories, such as RTD tea, coconut and other plant waters,…

Bleach saw low single-digit growth in retail value in 2023, though the growth rate continued fell compared with the previous two years. Bleach saw relatively strong growth during the period 2020-2022 compared to previous years, mainly due to…