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…

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…

The briefing introduces the 2022 Electric Vehicle (EV) Readiness Index which has been produced for 37 countries globally. The index seeks to assess the readiness of each country across four key pillars: Market Maturity, Income and Spending,…

Sales in energy drinks are only seeing modest off-trade growth, as the category has a fairly limited consumer audience and faces competition from other soft drinks. On the positive side, the revival of domestic and international travel helps 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…

In 2023, Malaysia’s GDP growth slowed to 4.0%, amid a challenging global economic environment, geopolitical conflicts, and tight monetary policies. However, Malaysia’s GDP per capita remained above the Asia Pacific average over the year. 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…

In 2024, dog food in Malaysia is set to maintain the same trend seen in 2022 and 2023, with slow retail volume growth, and stronger current value growth. One of the factors driving growth in the last few years has been consistent low growth in the…

The full lifting of COVID-19 restrictions was seen in 2022, which led to the reopening of the economy and international borders. Many consumers returned to socialising, the office and school, as they were no longer confined to the home. They were…

Demand for dishwashers in Malaysia has been heavily influenced by the reduced presence of expatriates, who traditionally constituted a significant customer segment for this appliance. The adoption of remote working policies by businesses, both local…

The leading chained players in discounters have been eyeing potential expansion opportunities in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, as the improved situation has made it easier for them to justify greater investment in outlet growth. Players have…

Direct selling in Malaysia showed resilience during the pandemic, particularly in the case of companies specialising in health and wellness products. Seeking ways to stay healthy, local consumers increasingly turned to health supplements and…

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…

Depilatories remained a highly consolidated category in Malaysia in 2023. Reckitt Benckiser continued to dominate hair removers/bleaches with its brand Veet, with the brand still gaining value share, while Procter & Gamble maintained its dominant…

Deodorant sprays posted the most dynamic growth within deodorants in Malaysia in 2023, rising fastest in both volume and current value terms as the format gained greater appeal among local consumers. Many brands of deodorant sprays have been…

Wider acceptance is boosting the use of personal debit cards in Malaysia. The rising popularity of personal debit cards underpins the growth in the number of cards and volume and value transactions. The increased numbers of POS terminals is widening…

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 Malaysian dairy industry is seeing a significant shift towards HDPE bottles for the packaging of fresh milk and flavoured milk drinks. While HDPE offers less transparency than PET, its superior tactile properties, particularly its…

The report will explore the key themes transforming consumer behaviour in Asia Pacific in the world beyond the pandemic, namely Digital Living, Rethink Wellness, Sustainable Living, Make My Life Easier and Search for Experiences, and the strategies…

The resumption of daily routines as the country emerges out of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis has sparked spending on both personal and commercial credit cards. In 2023, the number of commercial credit cards in circulation is rebounding, following…

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…

Consumers continued to dine out more often in the aftermath of the COVID-19 crisis in 2023 as the return to busy lifestyles left them with limited time to cook from scratch at home and drove down in-home consumption. However, consumers continued to…

Social distancing measures remained in effect in Malaysia in 2021, with consumers forced to avoid spending time outside of the home wherever possible, and huge numbers of white-collar professionals, office workers and service industry personnel were…

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…

This report visually explores everyday habits and behaviours which reflect consumers' beliefs and values, linking behavioural trends with purchase and consumption habits. 

Consumer Types can be a powerful tool to help companies better understand and appeal to their target markets. By going beyond typical demographic-based segmentation, such as age or gender, and grouping consumers based on shared traits and…

Consumer Lifestyles offers valuable insights into key consumer attitudes and current thinking, and their impact on purchasing and consumption habits; quantifying behaviours, preferences and motivations, and aligning them with broader trends.

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…

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…

In 2023, the Malaysian consumer foodservice market saw the continued strengthening of the country’s coffee drinking culture, which provided a notable boost to the performance of the specialist coffee and tea shops channel during the year. The end of…

Stand-alone remained the most popular consumer foodservice location in the Malaysian market in 2023. Most consumer foodservice operators opt for stand-alone locations for their outlets. There has been an increase in the number of consumer foodservice…

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…

In 2021 and 2022, many local consumers used personal loans when faced with unplanned expenses or a personal financial emergency. Malaysian banks were very active in offering personal loans to individuals, providing flexible repayments and offering…

The lifting of restrictions in 2022 has reshaped the Malaysian consumer landscape, with local consumers no longer confined to their homes. The newfound freedom has boosted spending in sectors such as tourism and food service, detracting from consumer…

Asian Pacific economies were hard hit by COVID-19, leading to setback in construction activities in the first half of 2020. Robust Chinese recovery, however, boosted construction output in the second half of the year. Heavy infrastructure…

Flexible plastic is a dominant pack type in confectionery due to cost-effectiveness, product protection and consumer convenience. Flexible plastic offers a significant cost advantage for producers compared to alternative packaging materials. This…

Off-trade volume sales in concentrates are relatively stable, thanks to the baseline demand for liquid concentrates in households in Malaysia. Indeed, liquid concentrates are especially in demand with large families, as they are perceived to offer…

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…

The report examines key factors in supply chain risks in metals, energy and agricultural commodities. Production, market supply concentration and political risks analysis can help to better identify potential risks and prepare for potential…

The commodities country overview provides comprehensive data on production, consumption and price trends on key commodities markets. The commodities overview in Malaysia covers production and consumption trends in agricultural commodities, energy…

Colour cosmetics turned in a positive performance in Malaysia in 2023, with volume and current value sales rising robustly. Premium colour cosmetics enjoyed strong growth thanks to the fuller return of shoppers to store-based outlets, which has…

Coffee consumption has become the norm in Malaysia, with more consumers drinking coffee daily in line with rising urbanisation and busy lifestyles. Volume sales rose dynamically through the on-trade channel in 2023 and saw marginal decline in the…

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…

Overall, economy and premium cigarettes gained retail volume share at the expense of mid-priced brands in 2023. The main reason for this trend was high inflation, which drove up living costs and increased cigarette prices. British American Tobacco…

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…

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…

Compared to other areas of apparel and footwear, childrenswear saw relatively modest growth in current value terms in 2023. Sales of childrenswear were comparatively unaffected by the pandemic, as despite the lockdown, parents still needed to…

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…