Philippines

The COVID-19 pandemic was beneficial for sales of ready meals in the Philippines during 2020 as the imposition of quarantine lockdowns and the strict approach taken to social distancing and home seclusion meant that many consumers spent much of their…

Sauces, dressing and condiments as a whole as well as most of the product areas within it saw a spike in demand in 2020, when the pandemic hit the country, followed by slower growth in 2021, but generally only moving back into line with the positive…

As charge cards caters to higher-income earners, it is still only small in the Philippines in 2022. Credit cards have low penetration in the country and it is thus to be expected that more premium card products will have an even smaller market. Even…

There were no self-service cafeterias operating in the Philippines at the end of the review period and in 2021.

Flexible plastic continued to account for the vast majority of the packaging unit volumes used in the home care industry in the Philippines in 2022. Flexible plastic also saw strong growth in 2022 as the country experienced a rise in inflation in…

Sales of chocolate confectionery remained stable during 2020 and 2021 as sales benefited from robust at-home consumption during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the category has seen stronger growth in 2022 and 2023 with demand picking up as…

It has been a challenging few years for sales of gum in the Philippines. The discretionary character of gum makes it is easy for consumers to sacrifice gum, especially if they have limited finances, which many have as a result of the economic impact…

Ice cream suffered heavy losses in 2020 following the outbreak of COVID-19 and the introduction of restrictions, but the category has since been on the path to recovery. This began in 2021 as sales were boosted by e-commerce and continued into 2022…

Thanks to the favourable economic performance and sustained marketing efforts of incumbent players such as Toby Marketing, Leslie Corp, and Universal Robina Corp sales of savoury snacks returned to growth in retail volume terms in 2022. The…

Following a remarkable performance across snacks in the Philippines in 2022, there has been an overall deceleration of sales growth in 2023 as consumers have moved towards a normalisation of their spending behaviour. The market witnessed an ongoing…

Sweet biscuits, snack bars and fruit snacks witnessed declining sales in both volume and value terms in 22020 and 2021. This was mainly due to the contraction in sales of sweet biscuits, with major companies in this area such as Monde Nissin Corp and…

Sugar confectionery continues to grow in value and volume terms in 2023, with the category continuing its recovery from the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The reopening of schools in August 2022 and the return to more active lives away…

As society fully reopened with the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions, beauty and personal care packaging unit volume sales increased in the Philippines in 2022 after its performances in the previous two years had been negatively impacted by the…

Although the tax burden is reducing, the Philippines remains ‘mostly unfree’ for economic freedom and geopolitical tensions are growing. Solid remittances helped the economy to outperform peers and infrastructure upgrades could support output…

Sales of computers and peripherals rocketed in response to COVID-19 and the introduction of restrictions. Many consumers were forced to switch to home working arrangements which created a huge demand for portable computers as consumers looked for…

2023 marks a year of recovery for consumer electronics in the Philippines after spending two years in the red due to economic uncertainties created by the pandemic and elevated inflation. While sales have not seen a full recovery in retail volume…

Headphones is one of the most dynamic areas of consumer electronics in the Philippines with these products complementing the use of smartphones as well as being appreciated by consumers when commuting, exercising, or seeking privacy at home or at…

Home audio and cinema witnessed a steep decline in retail volume terms in 2022 with this pattern continuing into 2022. Despite seeing stronger GDP growth in 2022 and 2023 there remains a high degree of economic uncertainty in the Philippines due to…

Sales of LCD TVs are declining in retail volume terms in 2023 as consumers are now spending more time outdoors again with COVID-19 restrictions having been fully lifted. Most purchases are coming from consumers looking to upgrade to larger LCD TVs or…

Imaging devices experienced a huge decline in demand during the review period with this pattern continuing into 2023. Whereas in the past consumers would often buy digital cameras to take on holiday or for special occasions such as weddings this…

There is a declining interest in in-car navigation in the Philippines as newer cars are now generally already equipped with built-in navigation systems, resulting in less demand for in-car navigation. Furthermore, greater smartphone penetration and…

Mobile phones has seen a return to growth in retail volume terms in 2023 with sales of smartphones seeing a slight recovery in 2023 after a significant sales decline in 2021 and 2022. The pandemic had a significant negative impact on consumer…

Sales of portable players are seeing growth in retail volume terms in 2023 for the second year running but this growth is being driven by wireless speakers with all the other categories posting heavy losses. A major fact in this is that wireless…

After seeing strong pandemic driven growth in 2021 and 2022, wearable electronics continues to see strong growth momentum in 2023 in retail volume terms. This dynamism stems from growing awareness of the importance of maintaining a healthy and active…

The volume of passengers travelling by air surpassed pre-COVID-19 levels in 2023. This was due to the easing of pandemic-related restrictions, which encouraged consumers to revive any travel plans that had been put on hold during the pandemic.…

Retail sales of bookings continued to grow strongly in constant value terms in 2023. This rebound was driven largely due to pent-up demand, as well as strong growth in domestic tourism and the rising popularity of staycations by domestic travellers.…

Hotels in the Philippines continued to bounce back in 2023, with the number of room nights being close to pre-pandemic levels. The sector suffered during the pandemic, due to mobility restrictions, with resulted in some hotels closing for business on…

Inbound arrivals (in terms of number of trips) continued to recover in 2023, having recorded triple-digit growth over the previous year. This followed the easing of all remaining international travel restrictions, including COVID-19 test…

The Filipino travel industry continued to recover in 2023, with the volume of inbound arrivals having recorded triple-digit growth over the previous year. This followed the easing of all remaining international travel restrictions, including COVID-19…

Beer is the largest alcoholic drinks category in the Philippines, and saw an accelerated revival in 2022, helped by a strong recovery in sales through the foodservice channel. After the COVID-19 pandemic hit the Philippines, packaging unit volumes of…

Baby food failed to display the same degree of dynamism as many other categories within dairy products and alternatives in 2023, due to the falling birth rate. While family is still of utmost importance to Filipinos, women are increasingly pursuing…

Butter and spreads saw accelerated growth in retail volume terms in 2023, thanks to the continuation of the home cooking and baking boom, which took off during the pandemic and which showed no signs of abating, despite that fact that consumers spent…

Despite continued inflationary pressures, cheese continued to exhibit a robust performance in retail volume terms in 2023. As the cost of cheese was prohibitive for some consumers, economy-priced spreadable and processed offerings, such as Cheese…

Retail sales of dairy products and alternatives recorded slightly accelerated growth in volume terms in 2023, when compared to the previous year. This was partly due to easing inflationary pressures, as energy and food prices posted lower increases,…

Drinking milk products represented the largest category within dairy products and alternatives, having accounted for more than 40% of retail volume sales in 2023. The market is characterised by the strong appeal of shelf stable milk, largely due to…

The home cooking trend continued as a key driver for growth for other dairy in 2023, despite an increase in consumer mobility, as many workers returned to their pre-COVID-19 routines. This tendency took off during the pandemic, when facing extended…

Soy drinks remained the only significant subcategory within plant-based dairy in 2023. Retail volume sales of soy drinks declined sharply during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021, due to decreased incidence of impulse purchases through…

Yoghurt and sour milk products continued to record robust growth in retail volume terms in 2023. Sales are almost entirely made up of drinking yoghurt, and Yakult in particular, which benefits from local production. During the pandemic, the brand…

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 the Philippines. This represents an improvement on 2021 and 2022, when restrictions related to…

Retail current value sales of fine wines/champagne and spirits grew by 16% in 2023 to total PHP66.8 billion, as a result of consumers’ desire to make the most of freedoms and open society after the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Enjoying a drink…

Retail value sales of luxury goods in the Philippines rose by 16% in 2023 in current terms to stand at PHP340.4 billion. The revival of shopping in person and the resurgence of travel and tourism presented favourable opportunities for consumers to…

Personal luxury retail current value sales increased by 11% in 2023 to total PHP198.2 billion, supported by the performances of leading brand owners, such as LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton SA, Kering SA and Rolex SA. Growth was fuelled by…

Retail current value sales of premium and luxury cars rose by 29% in 2023 to reach PHP38.2 billion. Higher demand came from higher-income consumers, with expenditure proving resilient in the face of macroeconomic headwinds. Wealth determines the…

Folding cartons are commonly used in the packaging of dried baby food products in the Philippines as they offer a combination of functionality, safety and marketing appeal that meets the specific needs in this category. Folding cartons provide a…

While the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic was positive for many packaged food categories, this did not apply to confectionery as sales in the category came under massive pressure during 2020, which continued, to some extent, in 2021. While all the…

Condensed milk is popular in the Philippines due to its versatility and cultural significance. It is a staple ingredient in many traditional Filipino desserts and beverages, such as halo-halo, leche flan or coffee. Condensed milk is often used as a…

In a humid tropical climate like the Philippines, where moisture and temperature fluctuations can degrade food quality, maintaining product freshness is of paramount importance. Aluminium/plastic pouches and folding cartons are popular packaging…

Earlier in the review period, prior to the pandemic, plant-based milk – the only product in plant-based dairy currently with visible sales – had been seeing strong growth, especially the dominant product type of soy milk, as many Filipinos were…

Frozen processed potatoes, the only frozen products with visible sales in the overall processed fruit and vegetables category, are packaged only in flexible plastic. This is because this pack type provides an airtight seal that helps maintain the…

The various COVID-19 measures and restrictions introduced during the pandemic resulted in very strong growth in sales of processed meat and seafood in 2020. In addition to the requirement for consumers to stay indoors for much of the time during the…