Chile

Bottled water has emerged as one of the top-performing categories in 2023. Even in the face of challenging conditions in 2022, it demonstrated impressive resilience. In 2023, bottled water continues its upward trajectory by capitalising on…

Chile is by far the leading market in Latin America in terms of per capita consumption of tea. Demand for this hot drink recorded impressive growth in the early 2010s. Furthermore, it is usually an essential item in every Chilean household. However,…

2022 in Chile was a year characterised by a 30-year high inflation rate. At first glance, the effects of inflationary pressures should have had more of an impact on demand for various non-essential goods, including other hot drinks, but the lingering…

While retail demand for hot drinks was starting to fall in line with a challenging scenario in late 2022, mainly driven by inflation and a worsening economic context, 2023 has been experiencing a deeper decline for most hot drinks in Chile. Tea is a…

While not as demanded as tea, but constantly growing, coffee in Chile has developed from an instant drink to warm up and wake up, to an enjoyable hot beverage, with local consumers increasingly able to distinguish quality, and thus, become more…

An intriguing metamorphosis is underway in the realm of store cards across Chile. Witnessing a downward trajectory, this transformation is driven by two pivotal factors, revolutionising the market and empowering consumers. First, the consumer…

The Payment Means Law in Chile has been a driving force behind the remarkable growth of pre-paid card transactions in the country. These financial cards have gained significant traction towards the end of the review period, with both banks and…

2023 has witnessed another marginal rebound in personal cash usage in Chile, despite a further decline in the overall value of this payment type. Cash usage tends to be higher among individuals over 60 years of age, those from lower socio-economic…

The latest “National Survey on Cash Usage and Preferences” from Chile’s Central Bank reveals intriguing shifts in payment preferences post-pandemic. In 2022, despite another decline in value, the number of personal cash transactions rebounded to…

Credit cards in Chile are undergoing a fascinating transformation, driven by the increasing digitalisation of consumer finance. A surge in digital transactions, including via credit and debit card operations, has led to a significant shift towards…

Chile's economy faces challenges as bank credit declined in 2022, the most negative annual variation in 30 years. The economic slowdown stems from a gradual adjustment to previous macroeconomic imbalances, with range projections of -0.5%-0.25% in…

Historically, when a consumer applied for a bank loan, the commitment was typically honoured until the debt was fully repaid because the process of making a change was costly and time-consuming. In 2020, Chile introduced the Financial Portability Law…

In line with the waning impact of the pandemic in Chile as the country eased its restrictions, consumers were optimistic that the economic situation would improve significantly. However, this was quickly followed by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine,…

Retail volume sales of rice continue to be impacted by the enduring ramifications of inflation in Chile. As a staple food for a substantial portion of the world's population, rice holds a critical position in diets and culinary traditions. However,…

High inflation continues to impact the performance of processed meat and seafood in Chile, exerting substantial influence on both consumer behaviour and industry dynamics. The rise in inflation directly affects the purchasing power of Chilean…

The per capita consumption of frozen processed vegetables in Chile differs significantly from that of other countries in the region, primarily due to health-related factors. In the 1980s, Chile experienced a severe cholera outbreak, impacting the…

Inflation and reduced at-home consumption occasions are influencing retail volume sales of breakfast cereals in Chile, shaping the category’s dynamics in profound ways. Inflation is severely impacting the production costs of breakfast cereals.…

The ongoing war in Ukraine continues to impact bread production in Chile, as part of challenges felt on a wider scale. As Russia is one of the world's largest wheat exporters, disruptions to its wheat production and supply chain resulting from the…

Northern Chile is not known for being an apicultural region due to its desert-like climatic conditions. However, a beekeeper from Pampa del Tamarugal has managed to produce honey; María Eliana Jofré hails from the town of La Huayca in the Tarapacá…

As Chilean consumers experience a paradigm shift in dining habits and continue to embrace home cooking, they appreciate various condiments that help elevate dishes. As inflation impacts the purchasing power of Chileans and dining out in foodservice…

Inflation has presented numerous challenges for innovation in several categories, and soup is no exception. When inflation becomes an issue, the overall cost of production increases, which can have a significant impact on the performance of the…

The production of olive oil in 2023 has been slowing in 2023 due to two crucial factors: adverse weather conditions and the increasing cost of fertilisers. Weather conditions have a significant impact on olive tree cultivation and subsequently on…

2022 was an extremely challenging year for cooking ingredients and meals in Chile, and the economic effects experienced in the country during that period are still relevant in 2023. Despite consumers' anticipation of an improved economic landscape…

The number of households is set to increase slightly in Chile over 2022-2027, as couples with children will remain the dominant household type. In 2022 household spending was affected by inflation, which stood at 11.6% elevating living costs. The…

While in 2023, current value and retail volume growth of womenswear has not reached the impressive double-digit figures recorded in 2021 (resulting in a full recovery to pre-pandemic sales levels, following a notable drop in 2020 as a result of…

Sportswear is the standout performer in Chilean apparel and footwear in terms of current value growth in 2023. While inflationary pressures have subdued demand for many apparel categories in general, sportswear’s growth remains positive due to the…

Menswear continues to exhibited a notable slowdown in both value and retail volume growth in 2023 compared to 2022. This is in contrast to womenswear, which is demonstrating more robust expansion. Nevertheless, certain product categories such as…

While demand for jeans continues to rise in 2023, value sales growth is more moderate, driven by the economy segment in Chile, and in particular, economy women's jeans, with the latter continuing to record remarkable double-digit retail volume…

Hosiery, driven mainly by the non-sheer segment, has found itself in a challenging situation with weakening retail volume sales. Simultaneously, overall value is recording minimal growth. The stagnation in value and reduction in volume can be…

Despite a weak performance in terms of retail volume sales in 2023, footwear in Chile is demonstrating robust current value growth, primarily driven by the men’s and women’s segments. Notably, a proportion of this growth can be attributed to price…

Childrenswear continues to experience a decline in value sales in 2023, a pattern consistent with the preceding year, and it remains one of the most heavily impacted categories within the broader apparel and footwear industry in the country. This…

Both retail value and volume growth of apparel and footwear in Chile continues to notably slow following 2021’s highs. During that year, strong growth was observed across most categories, supported by government aid, pension fund withdrawals, and the…

Apparel accessories is another category that has felt the reverberations of climate shifts triggered by the El Niño phenomenon. These shifts have led to unprecedented winter heatwaves, directly hampering the sales of cold weather-related accessories…

As the inflation rate increased in the country, consumers became increasingly indecisive at the point of purchase in 2022, and price tended to elevate in importance in the decision-making process. In fact, the National Institute of Statistics (INE in…

Chileans have substantially increased their awareness of the dangers to health that many soft drinks pose for them, especially carbonates and juice, and they are showing interest in improving their overall health. Legislation and more publicly…

Low GDP growth and the highest inflation in decades characterised the Chilean economy in 2022. These economic conditions limited the growth in sales of healthy snacks, because in general they have a higher unit price than traditional snacks. However,…

Eating well and healthily is not a simple task in Chile, as many packaged products with positive health-related attributes are usually far more expansive than standard, traditional products. At times, this has made it harder for products with healthy…

NotCo, a Chilean start-up which uses artificial intelligence to mimic animal-derived products with plant ingredients, continued the expansion of its portfolio with the launch of NotCheese, a vegan cheese, at the end of 2022. The company also received…

Strong growth was observed for cooking ingredients and meals throughout the first months of 2022, with healthier variants such as no added sugar and natural growing at a very fast pace as consumers resumed their normal activities. However, sales were…

The health and wellness industry continues to grow in importance post-pandemic as consumers become more aware of the negative health impact of processed foods, seeking healthier foods and beverages from a range of claims such as natural, organic,…

The global economy is facing weaker growth and increasing fragmentation, as a result of rising geopolitical tensions, especially due to the war in Ukraine and the US-China strategic rivalry. Protectionism, industrial policy and a focus on resilience…

Antofagasta and Iquique emerge as Chile's most economically dynamic cities, with Antofagasta displaying the greatest promise for future economic expansion. Nevertheless, Chilean cities will face persistent challenges. In the short term, these…

Yoghurt with functional claims experienced strong growth following the emergence of the pandemic. As Chileans developed strong consciousness around nutrition and the food they consumed, functional yoghurt significantly benefited. However, as…

Plant-based milk in Chile has been able to position itself in a widely competitive market. As Chileans adapted their preferences towards these types of products during the pandemic, the consumption of plant-based milk was significantly boosted.…

Within other dairy in Chile, chilled dairy desserts holds the highest value share in the category. However, retail volume growth is set to slow over 2023 due to the strong levels of inflation in the country. This is because chilled dairy desserts are…

The dairy products and alternatives industry continues to experience significant increases, including rising costs for animal feed, consequently creating a worrying situation for dairy farmers and how they operate. As the expenses associated with…

2023 has undoubtfully been challenging for dairy products and alternatives in Chile, mostly in terms of volume growth, because due to high inflation rates that the country is experiencing, value growth is offsetting the strong reduction in volumes.…

Raw milk is a fundamental ingredient in cheese production, and when the cost of this ingredient increases, producers face numerous challenges that can lead to significant setbacks. There are several reasons that link the increasing cost of raw milk…

Since the vaccination process against COVID-19 began in Chile and the impact of the pandemic started to wane, the home-cooking dynamic that emerged in 2020, when local consumers were forced to spend considerable time at home, has notably lost…

The decision that parents have to make on whether to feed their babies milk formula or breast milk is a never-ending debate in Chile. During the pandemic, consumers spent a significant amount of time at home due to restrictions and the home-seclusion…