Chile

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…

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,…

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…

As pandemic-related restrictions in Chile started to ease in 2021, local consumers began to spend greater time outside of the home, including participating in outdoor activities. This led to a rise in incidents requiring wound care, thereby boosting…

After experiencing a significant double-digit decline in retail value terms in 2022, weight management and wellbeing is only showing signs of a modest rebound in 2023 with flat growth. However, the overall outlook remains subdued as consumers…

The retail volume declines recorded by vitamins in 2022, for both multivitamins and single vitamins, are noticeably slowing in 2023. In 2021, the category’s dynamics shifted as the pandemic continued to drive demand for vitamins due to heightened…

Value sales of sports nutrition in Chile are experiencing a remarkable resurgence in 2023 with double-digit growth after a challenging 2022. A marginal drop in sales the previous year was primarily attributed to the significant reduction in Chileans’…

Demand for sleep aids is growing in 2023 to remain significantly above pre-pandemic levels. Although value growth can also be considered healthy, it falls short when compared to the remarkable figures observed in 2021, when the category experienced…

Paediatric consumer health is experiencing similar value growth rates to the previous year in Chile, although this is not aligned with the increasing demand for this category during 2023. A notable challenge has emerged as there have been stock…

Consumers in Chile continue to show strong support for herbal/traditional products, especially when purchasing cough/cold remedies. This trend is not only driven by the longstanding preference for natural products among many Chileans but also due to…

Eye care in Chile is experiencing declining retail volume sales in 2023, primarily due to greater mobility outside of the home and the transition back to in-person work settings. In 2020 and 2021, standard eye care experienced a notable upturn in…