Malaysia

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…

Premium beauty and personal care continued to flourish in Malaysia in 2023, with the fuller return to in-person and the increase in inbound tourism helping to fuel growth. Premium skin care was one of the top performers as sales rose rapidly, thanks…

Towards the end of the review period, many local consumers took out personal loans to cope with higher financial burdens. Malaysian banks have offered personal loans with more flexible repayment plans and more appealing terms when required. The…

Retail sales of apparel accessories continued to see healthy growth in current value terms in 2023. With consumers returning to their physical offices, there was a return to more formal clothing styles, with ties and belts seeing a particularly…

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.…

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…

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…

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 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…