Chile

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…

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…

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…

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,…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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 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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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 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…

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…

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,…

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,…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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 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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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,…

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…

Off-trade demand for carbonates in Chile is improving in 2023. Following an abnormal year in 2021 and a more normalised performance in 2022, the category is experiencing a rise in volumes in 2023. Like most categories in 2022 and 2023, carbonates has…

As Chilean families see an increase in their incomes and new products emerge in competing categories, concentrates, often regarded as a budget-friendly option, are generally losing popularity. Powder concentrates, the primary format in the category,…

Energy drinks has emerged as one of the most dynamic categories in Chilean soft drinks in recent years. With astounding growth over the review period, the category has gained a strong following, not only in the off-trade channel but also via…

In 2022, price increases posed significant challenges for juice producers. The surge in inflation rates, reaching a 30-year high in Chile, impacted various categories, including juice. Within the category, supply chain disruptions and the…

OKF Cappuccino is the leading brand of RTD coffee in Chile, and while traditionally it was available in various mainstream retailers and pharmacies, this scenario has changed significantly in 2023. OKF Cappuccino, along with some minor brands, is no…

RTD tea in Chile does not necessarily follow its hot drinks counterpart. In contrast to the sluggish growth of regular tea in 2023, RTD tea continues to record substantial volume growth. While RTD tea has faced inflationary pressures like its hot…

Demand for soft drinks is growing despite the challenges faced in 2022 and in the first half of 2023, characterised by high inflation and weakened demand. Major categories such as carbonates and bottled water have demonstrated resilience, while…

Sports drinks has witnessed an impressive performance over much of the review period, with off-trade volume sales recording double-digit growth in 2021 and 2022. While volume sales in 2023 have marginally declined, overall demand remains…

Following a strong uptake for air treatment products during the first two years of the pandemic as Chileans spent considerable time at home, retail volume sales started to marginally fall in 2022, with even stronger declines in 2023. This performance…

Consumer appliances in Chile is witnessing a normalisation of demand in 2023 following several years of fluctuating growth rates. The first two years of the pandemic resulted in a surge in sales for many categories due to prolonged home seclusion.…

After achieving dynamic volume growth in 2021, driven by greater access to financial liquidity for local consumers, demand for dishwashers notably declined in 2022. Struggling to maintain their international supply chains due to higher container…