Malaysia

Eye care continued to see robust growth in retail volume terms in 2023, with standard eye care leading the way. Malaysians typically spend long periods of time on digital devices, a practice which is linked to a range of vision issues, including…

Antacids continued as the key driver of growth within digestive remedies in 2023. With Malaysians returning to their stressful, on-the-go lifestyles, they were less likely to eat healthy meals and were hence more prone to digestive complaints, such…

With COVID-19 still a relatively recent memory, Malaysians continued to place a strong emphasis on preventative health measures, including the intake of dietary supplements. Consumers saw these products as an effective way of boosting their immune…

Dermatologicals saw an overall increase in demand in 2023, although performance varied somewhat by subcategory Nappy (diaper) rash treatments, for example, benefited from the return of consumers to more active lifestyles outside the home, which meant…

Cough, cold and allergy (hay fever) remedies witnessed an improved performance in constant value terms in 2023. This was due, in a large part, to a return of pre-pandemic lifestyles, including the reopening of schools and workspaces, which…

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, Malaysian consumers have been increasingly focused on preventative health measures, and this trend continued into 2023. Alongside the adoption of healthier diets and exercise behaviours, consumers sought out vitamins…

The return of consumers to their busy-pandemic lifestyles had a positive impact on demand for analgesics in Malaysia in 2023. Within this, topical analgesics/anaesthetic remained the largest subcategory, as well as being the key driver of growth.…

Value sales of premium and luxury cars are set to rise by 5% in current terms to total MYR13.4 billion in 2023. Growth is being supported by elevated demand from more affluent consumers who are continuing to invest in new vehicles despite the…

Personal luxury is set to see current value growth of 11% in 2023 to reach MYR8.4 billion, supported by strong performances from leading brand providers, such as Louis Vuitton Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Hermes Retail (M) Sdn Bhd and Richemont Luxury Malaysia…

Retail value sales of luxury goods in Malaysia are set to rise by 15% in 2023 in current terms to amount to MYR31.0 billion. A combination of a renewed desire for indulgence, pent-up demand, and the resumption of key activities, including travelling,…

Value sales of fine wines/Champagne and spirits are set to grow by 9% to total MYR292 million in 2023. Socialising over a drink with friends remains a priority pastime for many and this has boosted sales in 2023, following the limits placed on…

Despite macroeconomic adversity on a global scale, tourist demand in 2023 was on the rise, with a growing number of visitors taking their holidays in Malaysia. Consumer demand has also been shifting from manufactured goods back towards services now…

In 2023, yoghurt is expected to continue to recover slowly from the decreases in retail volume sales registered in the early-to-mid review period, including, but not limited to, the Coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis. Therefore, the market size is…

“Other” plant-based milk is projected to continue to see dynamic retail volume and current value and foodservice volume growth to continue to gain on soy drinks over 2023. “Other” plant-based milk is increasingly present on menus in foodservice…

Condensed and evaporated milk is expected to maintain its dominance in retail volume and current value terms to shape the category in 2023. The average retail current unit price of condensed and evaporated milk is predicted to spike over 2023. The…

Further retail volume and current value growth is expected across drinking milk products in 2023. The constant strong upward trajectory in the demand for drinking milk products through the review period, including the Coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis of…

Baby food continues to be adversely affected by falling birth rates, economic difficulties, breastfeeding and home-cooked alternatives and variances in distribution. Dried and prepared baby food can be easily replaced by home-cooked food, while…

The dominant category in both retail volume and value terms, processed cheese (excluding spreadable), is being developed by significant new product development towards the end of the review period. The domestic foodservice operator QSR Trading Sdn…

During much of 2020 and 2021 consumers found themselves confined to their homes due to the government’s measures to stem the tide of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. This encouraged them to take up cooking and baking as a hobby. This trend had a…

In 2023, baby food is expected to continue to recover from decreases in retail volume sales in the early-to-mid review period. However, the growth in demand is predicted to be moderate, with retail volume sales in 2023 slightly lower than at the…

The removal of COVID-19 restrictions on mobility, foodservice and inbound tourism into Malaysia drove a recovery in volume sales of alcoholic drinks packaging in 2022, following two years of decline. As the majority of the Malaysian population is…

Travel in Malaysia continues on a strong path to recovery boosted by the end of the pandemic and a strong desire to travel again. There has been a significant increase in international travel thanks to the lifting of restrictions and COVID-19 related…

After surpassing the initial target for tourist arrivals in 2022, Malaysia is projected to continue on the path to recovery in 2023, albeit the number of inbound arrivals is expected to remain well below pre-pandemic levels, in terms of number of…

As with the other travel categories, lodging’s recovery has also been boosted by the re-opening of international borders and a significant increase in tourism flows in 2023. Before this, lodging was mainly relying on domestic travellers which led to…

Tourism Malaysia is looking for new ways to expand its reach and entice more travellers to book a holiday in the country. For example, Tourism Malaysia collaborated with Indonesian travel platform Traveloka on a smart partnership campaign to promote…

Airlines in Malaysia experienced strong growth in terms of domestic flights in 2022 while international air travel is expected to rise significantly in 2023 now that global border restrictions have been lifted. As a result, the number of people…

Retail sales of wearable electronics saw a dynamic performance in both volume and constant value terms in 2023, continuing the trend of the previous year. This came in spite of inflationary pressures, which had a negative impact on discretionary…

Portable players is dominated by wireless speakers, with portable multimedia players accounting for most of the remainder. Compact, portable and affordable, as well as being compatible with “on-the-go” lifestyles, wireless speakers are rapidly…

Mobile phones continued to account for the highest proportion of retail value sales of consumer electronics in 2023. Smartphones are playing an increasingly important role in the daily lives of local consumers, thanks to the shift towards a cashless…

Retail sales of in-car entertainment saw an accelerated decline in both volume and constant value terms in 2023, in spite of rising levels of new car ownership. In the case of the latter, tax incentives were a key contributor to this trend, as…

Retail sales of imaging devices continued their to fall in constant value terms during 2023. Such products are being cannibalised by smartphones, which are increasingly ubiquitous in Malaysia. While the quality of a smartphone camera is typically…

Retail constant value sales (2023 prices) of home video products, which consist primarily of televisions, continued to decline in 2023. Growth was restricted by inflationary pressures, which caused some consumers to postpone large, discretionary…

Retail sales of home audio and cinema continued to decline in both volume and current value terms in 2023. The category is dominated by hi-fi systems and home cinema and speaker systems, demand for which is being undermined by the growing popularity…

Headphones saw positive growth in constant value terms in 2023, despite consumer concerns about the cost of living. Increased smartphone use for streaming audio and video content was a key driver of this trend, in addition to the ongoing prevalence…

Consumer electronics in Malaysia saw modest growth in 2023, although sales remained well below 2021 levels in constant value (2023 prices) terms. As the country emerged from the pandemic, consumers became increasingly keen to travel, socialise and…

Retail volume sales of computers and peripherals fell for the second consecutive year in 2023, following strong growth in 2021. The latter was due to a switch to remote working and schooling, as the COVID-19 pandemic forced consumers to spend more…

Plastic pollution is becoming an increasingly pressing concern the world over, and Malaysia is no different. In an effort to minimise the amount of plastic waste it generates, Colgate-Palmolive introduced 100% recyclable HDPE tubes for its toothpaste…

Domestic sweet biscuit manufacturers in Malaysia, notably Munchy Food Industries and Perfect Food, are enjoying the benefits of a strong supply chain in 2023, owing to their ability to source key raw materials such as flour and sugar, locally.…

In 2023, medicated confectionery and standard mints are posting the most significant current value growth within sugar confectionery overall in Malaysia. During the pandemic and as a result of subsequent extremely hot weather, local consumers turned…

The ongoing inflation in Malaysia is set to continue exerting an upward pressure on unit prices in 2023, albeit at a slightly slower pace than in 2022. This rising trend, notably within the confectionery sector, is impacting consumer behaviour.…

Savoury snacks in Malaysia is grappling with a persistent disruption in the supply of raw materials in 2023. This supply shortage, coupled with price increases, has led to a surge in production costs, particularly impacting potato chips and other…

Ice cream volume sales in foodservice are outpacing those within retail in Malaysia in 2023, with the latter in decline, indicating a significant change in consumer behaviour. With the pandemic lockdown lifted in 2022, consumers resumed dining out in…

As volume sales continue to decline dramatically across both chewing gum and bubble gum, the growth of chewing gum in Malaysia has slowed down slightly in current value terms in 2023 when compared to the previous year. A key contributing factor to…

2023 is seeing innovative product development proving to be a significant driver of demand for countlines and chocolate pouches and bags in chocolate confectionery in Malaysia. Among the key players, Nestlé is showing a particular focus on…

Malaysia’s international borders were finally fully reopened to foreign tourists in April 2022. This provided a huge boost to local on-trade operators and in turn helped to stimulate sales of still light grape wine. Imported wine from Australia…

Sales of spirits rebounded strongly in total volume terms in 2022 although the performances of the different categories varied. For instance, standard vodka as well as standard and premium English gin enjoyed healthy growth in total volume terms in…

Wine-based RTDs was the most dynamic category in total volume terms in 2022. This was a turnaround in fortunes for a category which was in decline even before the pandemic. The category benefited from the lifting of restrictions on bars/pubs and…

There was high global inflation in 2022 due to various factors including the fallout from the pandemic and importantly Russia's invasion of Ukraine. This in turn led to an increase in the cost of raw materials. In particular packaging costs…

Domestic mid-priced lager brands like Tiger, Carlsberg Green Pilsner, Heineken and Anchor Smooth enjoyed strong growth in 2022 due to their visibility on retailers’ shelves and wide channel coverage in both the off-trade and on-trade. Consumers…

On-trade RTD volume sales continued to see solid growth in 2022, while off-trade sales only experienced minor growth. This was due to consumers returning to food service establishments following the lifting of all remaining COVID-19 restrictions in…