Malaysia

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…

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…

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.…

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…

Olive oil saw retail volume sales decline in 2023 at the same time as witnessing current value growth as unit prices continued to rise significantly. Most of the brands operating in the category, including Bertolli, Colavita, Naturel, and Filippo…

Sports nutrition continued to see dynamic growth in constant value terms in 2023, as consumers returned to their active lifestyles. Sales also benefited from opening of more gyms and fitness centres, following the ending of various pandemic-related…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

While metal food cans remained the most significant pack type in unit volume terms in 2023, folding cartons, the second most widely used packaging format, continued to gain share in overall meals and soups in this year. Folding cartons are used for a…

Mass skin care in Malaysia posted strong growth in 2023, with current value sales rising at a robust rate. Development and innovation were often centred around breakthrough ingredients claimed to provide superior efficacy, such as glutathione,…

Baby and child-specific products in Malaysia saw growth in 2023 propelled by the accelerating trend towards natural and clean products, as parents sought to avoid ingredients perceived to be potentially harmful to children’s health. Examples of…

A return to more active lifestyles fuelled growth in sportwear in 2023, with performance apparel and performance footwear, in particular, benefitting from the resumption of outdoor sporting activities. The reopening of the country’s borders to…

As the market reopened after the COVID-19 pandemic, all mobility categories rebounded strongly in 2022. Continued growth is forecast over 2022-2027, as Malaysia’s economy grows. SUVs and crossovers have outperformed other light vehicle categories,…

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…

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…

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…

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 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…

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…

The continuous pressure of inflation and a weakening of the local currency against the US dollar has increased prices across the category, slowing the post-pandemic retail volume recovery of cigars, cigarillos and smoking tobacco. Local consumers…

Contact lenses in Malaysia is seeing a continued consumer shift from frequent replacement lenses to daily disposable lenses in 2024. This is being driven by changing lifestyles and evolving demand. In the immediate aftermath of the pandemic, local…

Footwear registered a second year of double-digit growth in 2023, with sales exceeding pre-pandemic levels in current value terms. Sales of both men’s and women’s footwear were boosted by the return of consumers to their physical offices, at least on…

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…

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,…

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…

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…

Chilled processed meat is only packaged in flexible plastic in Malaysia. This encompasses a variety of formats, including hermetically sealed packs, flow wraps, overwraps and other non-stand-up pouch materials. Flexible plastic offers a significant…

Metal food cans remain the dominant pack type for shelf stable fruit and vegetables in Malaysia. This dominance, extending to products like beans, fruits and tomatoes, has persisted for years, with no changes seen in 2023. The primary reason behind…

Basic and mid-range traditional watches saw slower growth in retail volume terms in 2023 after seeing dynamic double-digit growth in 2022. The target audience for these products are generally more price-sensitive and they were impacted significantly…

Retail sales of breakfast cereals in Malaysia recorded continued growth in volume terms in 2023. This was in spite of the weakening of the local currency, the ringgit, against the US dollar, which brought about higher import costs. With Malaysia…

Retail volume sales of sweet spreads declined significantly in 2023. Sweet spreads such as jams and preserves, as well as nut and seed based spreads, are mainly consumed with bread for breakfast, with local consumers preferring artisanal bread with…

Sales of jeans continued to see healthy growth in current value terms in 2023. Premium jeans remained the largest subcategory in terms of value, having continued to benefit from the presence of many established brands, including the iconic Levi’s…

Demand for hosiery improved significantly in 2023, continuing the trend of the previous year. The return of consumers to their physical offices boosted demand for sheer hosiery, as did an increase in the number of social outings, as tights tend to be…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…