Latin America

The momentum of debit card usage continues to surge in 2023, mirroring the trend seen in recent years and maintaining its steadfast trajectory since the onset of the pandemic. The issuance of debit cards has remained notably robust, showcasing the…

Price increases of edible oils in Mexico stemming from widespread inflation seen in 2022 persist; however, these are generally slower in 2023. According to Euromonitor International's Voice of the Industry: Food Survey 2023, 90% of the food industry…

The credit card business has become less lucrative for banks, primarily serving as a means to entice customers to deposit their salaries into banking institutions. The prevalent monthly inflation in Argentina has soared to alarming levels. Banks face…

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 use of debit cards continues to grow strongly in Colombia, supported by increased online purchases and cautious consumer behaviour. While credit card issuance remains stagnant, pre-paid cards, particularly closed loop transportation cards, are…

Financial cards and payments in Mexico in 2023 has been marked by growth, and adaptation to consumer needs. Post-pandemic economic recovery has been playing a pivotal role in boosting card usage and transaction volumes and values. This recovery,…

Financial cards and payments have indeed witnessed substantial growth in 2023. However, this growth has seen a notable slowdown due to consumers adopting a more cautious approach to spending. Factors contributing to this caution include the sluggish…

Health and wellness trends have been on the rise since the pandemic in Mexico. According to Euromonitor International's Voice of the Consumer: Lifestyles Survey 2023, 55% of consumers actively seek products containing healthy ingredients in their…

Open loop pre-paid cards initially gained significant traction, targeting individuals without a financial history to access traditional credit cards, particularly those in lower socioeconomic levels. However, the momentum of this segment has…

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…

In 2023, the number of pre-paid cards in circulation is expected to grow steadily. Closed loop pre-paid cards, particularly transportation cards, will remain the most important. This growth is driven by increased mobility as hybrid work schemes lose…

Pre-paid cards is a form of payment, whether in physical or digital format, that closely resembles conventional debit and credit cards. In 2023, pre-paid cards is set to experience a positive performance, largely thanks to the rise of e-commerce, and…

The use of pre-paid cards has shown consistent growth over the last two years, particularly experiencing a notable surge in 2022 as pandemic-related restrictions were lifted and activities returned to a semblance of normalcy. However, in 2023, this…

Health and wellness trends have been on the rise in Mexico since the pandemic. According to Euromonitor International's Voice of the Consumer: Lifestyles Survey 2023, 55% of consumers are looking for products with healthy ingredients in their food…

In recent years, there has been a notable shift in consumer preference from store-specific cards to more versatile credit cards, allowing them to use a single card for all purchases. This shift has compelled store cards to transition into credit…

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…

Store cards are expected to continue their downward trajectory in 2023 in both transaction value and the number of cards in circulation. With consumers having more alternatives to choose from pre-paid, including credit or debit cards offering…

Store cards demonstrated sustained growth in transaction values even during the pandemic. According to the 2018 National Financial Inclusion Survey (ENIF) conducted by the National Banking and Securities Commission (CNBV), 61.5% (15.1 million) of…

The utilisation of store cards is on a notable decline, largely due to a transition where most stores have opted to partner with major operators in the market, like Visa or Mastercard. As a result, prominent department stores have ceased issuing…

Several trends have emerged since the pandemic in Mexico and continue to shape consumers’ daily lives. According to Euromonitor International's Voice of the Consumer: Lifestyles Survey 2023, 55% of consumers seek products with healthy ingredients in…

While total current value sales growth for cooking ingredients and meals in Argentina in 2023 is set to be up markedly on the previous year, this is primarily because the country’s already chronically high inflation has skyrocketed due to the sharp…

Bolivia has managed to protect itself to a large extent from inflation by continuing to have a fixed exchange rate against the dollar. However, there has been challenges for the economy in 2023, with sharp falls in foreign currency reserves and this…

The Colombian economy began to recover in the second half of 2021, with growth reaching + 7.5% by the end of the year 2022. This was fuelled by fiscal stimuli registered in 2021, increased oil prices and a boost in food and beverages exports which…

While there is still economic uncertainty, inflationary pressure eases significantly in 2023, even falling into deflation territory for part of the year. This is seen particularly in edible oils, where prices fall after the highs experienced in 2022,…

The swift reopening of the Dominican Republic following the COVID-19 pandemic gave the economy a boost, with the influx of tourists reinvigorating businesses. The tourism sector is a significant contributor to GDP and so the rebound in tourism has…

Cooking ingredients and meals experienced strong growth during the COVID-19 pandemic as consumers spent more time cooking meals at home. Since the sharp spike in retail volume sales in 2020, retail consumption has gradually normalized, with consumers…

In 2023, inflation has begun to subside in Guatemala although retail price inflation continues to impact the basic food basket. Lower prices of some imported goods, regulatory interest rate policies and reduced agricultural production costs have…

Cooking ingredients and meals registered value sales growth across the market in 2023 due to rising prices while volume sales growth was modest. Consumers sought out lower priced options such as private label and stand-up pouches due to ongoing…

Cooking ingredients and meals slowed in volume terms in 2023 while value sales rose strongly due to rising inflation. Substantial unit price increases put significant pressure on household incomes, resulting in a more conservative approach to…

While value sales rose of cooking ingredients and meals rose in 2023, volume sales contracted. High inflation forced consumers to reduce the frequency of purchases. Nevertheless, while poverty and income inequality characterise Paraguay’s small…

Peru has been experiencing a sustained increase in prices since 2021, which slowed down but persisted in 2023.

In 2023, cooking ingredients and meals registered a modest growth in volume terms, as it faced various challenges. The weaker purchasing power seen in 2022 has continued in 2023 and is impacting negatively on demand, although mainly in sweet spreads…

To secure an adequate domestic supply of edible oils and keep prices for consumers at affordable levels, early in 2023 the Argentinian government renewed its subsidy agreement with members of industry representative group CIARA (Chamber of the Oil…

Edible oils is expected to register a slight decrease in volume sales in 2023. That being said, consumers have not been exposed to the same global inflationary pressures for edible oils as many other countries arising both from the war in Ukraine and…

Global prices of cooking oils have been rising since the COVID-19 pandemic began, with the price hikes intensified thanks to the war in Ukraine and the resultant regional shortage of sunflower oil. Though no such shortage was noted in Colombia during…

Both constant and current values are expected to fall, as edible oil prices see a gradual fall in 2023, from the highs of the previous year, that were mainly caused by shortages caused by the war in Ukraine. Not surprisingly, volume sales are…

Retail prices of edible oils continued to rise in 2023 due to the inflationary climate, although at a slower rate than was witnessed in 2022. External factors, such as the high price of commodities and the war in Ukraine, have impacted the supply…

In 2023, the price of edible oil in Ecuador has stabilized following the soaring prices witnessed in 2022. Global oil prices have decreased and the emergence of hard discount chains, such as Tuti, are fostering greater price competition, with other…

Stand-up pouches have become increasingly popular in the edible oil category in 2023. This stand-up pouch is becoming more prevalent in the landscape, as it is considered as a useful alternative to PET and glass bottles. Capullo from Naturaceites SA…

Peru has been experiencing a sustained increase in prices since 2021, with prices growing most rapidly in 2022 but continuing to rise in 2023. Although Peru is a country that has strong local brands, many of the final products and supplies are…

Pressure on households budgets is driving many Uruguayans to cross the border into Argentina and buy edible oils, alongside other grocery items, at a cheaper price. According to industry sources, edible oil retail prices are up to 70% cheaper in…

After several years of decline, soup in Argentina saw overall retail volume sales return to positive territory in 2022. While it looks set to record an improved performance in this regard in 2023, growth remains modest, partly due to strong…

Meals and soup are expected to register a decrease in volume sales in 2023. In particular, soup is expected to register a steep volume decline. Part of this decline is due to the widespread availability of smuggled soup in outdoor markets. Smuggling…

Sales of ready meals are declining in retail volume terms in 2023, with people returning to their normal routines and spending more time outside of the home thanks to the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions. This is seeing a shift back towards…

Meals and soups is expected to register both current value and volume growth in 2023. With society fully opened up post pandemic, and consumers leading busy lives, they appreciate the convenience of meals and coups, with ready meals in particular…

Meals and soups continues to be impacted by rising prices in 2023 as inflation remains high, resulting in double-digit current value growth. Since 2022, increases in the cost of raw materials, shipping costs, labour wages and energy have led to…

Dry soup is a prominent category within the packaged food industry in Ecuador. Nestlé Ecuador is the leading player due to its popular and affordable Maggi brand, which has an extensive portfolio focused on cream and traditional soups and newer…

In 2023, meals and soups witnessed a moderate lift in retail volume sales as consumption of dry soups increased. Standard brands, including Maggi, Malher and Knorr, continue to characterise soup in 2023 with similar products, flavours and unit…

Growth in the meals and soups category has been driven by value rather than volume. With a marked rise in prices generally, volume sales have contracted. This has been a particularly prominent feature of categories like this, which are usually not…

Dry soup remains the largest category in sauces, dips and condiments, in current value terms. The reduction of imports, largely from Argentina, is hindering retail volume sales in 2023. Category leader Unilever del Uruguay SA leads sales of dry soup…