South Africa

Frozen ready meals was the main winner during the pandemic, recording strong double-digit percentage growth in its packaging unit volumes in both 2020 and 2021. This boosted the packaging unit volumes of folding cartons in these years, given it is…

There was a modest acceleration in the rate of unit volume growth in sauces, dressings and condiments packaging during 2020. With South Africa enforcing one of the strictest lockdowns in the world in an effort to curb the spread of COVID-19, many…

In 2022, the lingering impact of heightened hygiene consciousness due to the pandemic continued to influence the performance of home care categories in South Africa. For example, bleach continued to see positive growth in 2022, even following the…

Bath and shower products were recording the strongest unit volume growth rates in beauty and personal care packaging in South Africa in 2022, which can be attributed to the increasing hygiene awareness among consumers as well as their changing…

Chocolate confectionery is set to record solid retail current value growth in 2023, driven by unit price increases of around 10% in most categories. Meanwhile, without innovation in terms of flavours, and digital campaigns, stronger volume declines…

Although retail volume sales of gum are expected to return to a slight decline in 2023, the category is set to record strong single-digit retail current value growth in 2023, primarily driven by price rises, value-added options, and flavour…

Rolling blackouts (loadshedding) have persisted in 2023, averaging stage 4 for the year (at the time of writing this report), which means that consumers experience power cuts for three to four two-hour slots per day. As a result, consumers have cut…

The top players in savoury snacks are set to continue to record value share declines in 2023, mainly driven by higher unit prices. The weather continues to hamper the local production of potatoes used in the production of potato chips. While the…

2023 has marked another tough year for consumers in South Africa, with double-digit food inflation, rising interest rates, and continuous rolling blackouts (loadshedding). Loadshedding has affected the entire supply chain, as well as consumers, as…

Sugar confectionery is set to record high single-digit retail current value growth in 2023; however, rising unit prices are expected to drive down retail volume demand. Most categories are projected to see double-digit growth in unit prices as a…

National Brands is set to continue to lead sweet biscuits in retail value terms in 2023, despite strong competition from private label lines and rising unit prices in South Africa. During 2023 unit prices are set to increase by double digits, driven…

South Africa’s political landscape continues to be unstable, hindering economic freedom, whilst social unrest negatively impacts peacefulness. Although inflation is falling, the power crisis is adversely affecting economic development and…

South Africa remained subject to widespread electricity blackouts (load-shedding) in 2023, which meant that were was no power supply during certain times of the day. This had a negative impact on the operating capability of many organisations across…

The consumer electronics market in South Africa is becoming increasingly characterised by high levels of innovation by the leading players. With tough economic conditions placing pressure on consumers’ disposable incomes, brand owners sought to…

Many companies in South Africa are adopting a hybrid working model, a trend that was facilitated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Such a development has boosted volume sales of headphone products, which saw continued growth in 2023. The main reason behind…

Towards the end of the review period, there was a growing demand for home audio and cinema products which did not require a lot of time to set up and operate, commensurate with increasingly busy lifestyles. One product to benefit from this trend was…

Consumer demands continued to evolve in 2023, alongside the emergence of new technologies. One notable trend within home video was a growing demand for multifunctional smart TVs, which gave consumers the opportunity to stream their favourite shows…

Imaging devices are increasingly under threat from alternative, better value for money products that serve the same purpose, most notably smartphones. Most new smartphones have an imaging functionality that competes with both digital cameras and…

The emergence of products with multiple functions across the consumer electronics industry continued to have a negative impact on in-car entertainment in South Africa in 2023. In-car navigation, for example, is increasingly affected by the fact that…

During the review period, there was a clear trend towards smartphones with larger screen sizes in South Africa. This was driven mainly by technological advancements which allowed consumers to perform multiple functions, which until relatively…

During the review period, South Africa faced repeated interruptions to the power supply, known as load-shedding. This had a significant impact on businesses, including consumer electronics, as well as consumer lifestyles. However, these intermittent…

During the review period, consumers across South Africa became more aware of the importance of leading healthy lives. This trend was facilitated by the COVID-19 pandemic which gave them more time to reflect on their lifestyles. Such a development…

In 2022, airlines in South Africa faced unexpected challenges, leading to devastating consequences for the country's major competitors. Mango, the low cost carrier of South African Airways, had its licence suspended for two years, while Comair, the…

Unlike in many countries, which only saw the closure of foodservice establishments, the sale of alcohol was banned completely in South Africa to help control the spread of the COVID-19 virus in 2020. This meant that, also unlike most other nations,…

There continues to be a noticeable preference for shorter lead-time bookings, particularly when it comes to holiday destinations that are closer to the customer’s home and offer lower travel costs. These include journeys that can be easily undertaken…

As international tourist arrivals to South Africa experience a resurgence, there has been a significant increase in airlift capacity, reaching levels comparable to pre-pandemic years. Cape Town International Airport, in particular, has reported a…

Travel and tourism in South Africa has been sustained by the domestic market despite major airlines being grounded in 2022 and an increase in aviation fuel prices. Tourist arrivals from Europe and the US have started to regain momentum in 2023, with…

Travel and tourism in South Africa has faced persistent challenges due to rising input costs, particularly related to supplying quality water to clients and dealing with frequent power outages. Water supply and water quality challenges have been…

The average unit price of milk formula is set to see a double-digit rise in 2023 overall, due to inflation and rising production costs. The rising unit price of milk formula is set to result in a retail volume decline for this category in 2023, as…

In 2023, double-digit food inflation has seen consumers reduce their overall consumption across categories, with butter, cooking fats, and margarine and spreads all set to see retail volume declines. This is the second year that the prices of…

The cheese category is set to experience muted retail volume growth in 2023, due to a double-digit increase in the average unit price. Significant rises in prices have been limiting consumer purchases, leading to only slow growth in cheese…

2023 has been a tough financial year for consumers, with double-digit food inflation, rising interest rates, and rolling blackouts. Several categories within dairy products and alternatives are set to record double-digit retail current value growth…

As the prices of food have been soaring, retailers are focused on bringing consumers the lowest prices possible for essential products such as drinking milk products. This means that farmers and producers do not really have much room to increase…

Despite the expectation of retail current value growth, all categories within other dairy are set to experience retail volume declines in 2023, as consumers prioritise essential food products over non-essential or luxury items. Economic challenges…

Demand for plant-based dairy products continues to grow locally, with other plant-based milk set to see the strongest retail volume growth in 2023, albeit from a low base. Plant-based milk remains by far the biggest category, thanks its wide…

Sour milk products are commonly preferred by lower-income consumers, who are particularly susceptible to price increases. These consumers often opt for such products due to their relatively lower cost compared with other dairy items, making sour milk…

Tourism levels in South Africa showed signs of recovery in 2023, despite the macroeconomic backdrop of high inflation and rising food and fuel costs triggered by Russia’s war in Ukraine. This represents an improvement on 2021 and 2022, when…

Value sales of fine wines/Champagne and spirits is set to grow by 13% to total ZAR2.0 billion in 2023. This strong growth is partly the result of a consumer desire to indulge and enjoy themselves now that the pandemic is over. Socialising (at home as…

Retail sales of luxury goods in South Africa are expected to grow by 14% in current value terms in 2023 to reach ZAR55.0 billion. The category has continued on the path to recovery with consumers returning to their pre-pandemic work, travel, and…

Personal luxury is set to see current value growth of 8% in 2023 to reach ZAR10.6 billion. This is being supported by strong performances from leading brand providers, such as Surtee Group, African Sales Co (Pty) Ltd and Louis Vuitton South Africa…

Value sales of premium and luxury cars are set to rise by 14% to total ZAR39.8 billion in 2023. This dynamism is due to increased demand from high-income consumers, who proved to be steadfast in their desire to buy new cars despite the macroeconomic…

When it comes to pain management, analgesics is a popular category, specifically acetaminophen. For many consumers, acetaminophen is their go-to preference as it is easily available across various channels. Additionally, it can be bought without…

During the review period, many consumers have been facing financial difficulties as the cost of living in South Africa has been increasing on a monthly basis. For many consumers, their health is an afterthought with most instead prioritising…

During the review period, the flu and allergy season in South Africa was rife specifically during the winter periods. Given the presence of several flu strains and allergies, consumers reached out to cough, cold and allergy (hay fever) products to…

Many consumers in South Africa rely on pharmacist recommendations when it comes to dermatological products. Most consumers within South Africa are highly unlikely to visit a doctor or even a dermatologist to treat some dermatological issues. As a…

During the review period, South Africa experienced high levels of inflation that impacted essential categories such as food, fuel and even mortgage payments. Consumers were cutting down on discretionary spending as they had less disposable income.…

Since 2022, South Africa has been suffering from rolling electricity blackouts. The scheduled blackouts can often occur in some areas around two to three times a day. Moreover, these blackouts often occur during mealtimes. This has created a strong…

During 2023, more consumers suffered from eye health issues due to much more time spent using technology, such as computers and laptops. At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, children were unable to go to school or workers to their workplace and…

Since the pandemic, consumers have slowly begun to prioritise their health and wellness. This in turn has led to growing sales of herbal/traditional products. For example, Clicks stocks a brand called Sela. Sela is a tea bag brand that is available…

NRT smoking cessation aids is a small category in South Africa and only relevant to a small consumer group. Since, 2022 NRT gum has been the only product type that has been available locally over the counter. Other products such as NRT patches are…