Market research on consumer products, commercial industries, demo...
Market research on consumer products, commercial industries, demographics trends and consumer lifestyles in South Korea.
In 2023, small local grocers in South Korea saw yet another year of decline in both current value sales and outlet numbers. The channel has been encountering difficulties as consumer preference is tending to shift towards e-commerce and convenience…
Although supermarkets saw a second consecutive year of decline in outlet numbers in South Korea in 2023, current value sales maintained low growth. Positioned between convenience stores and hypermarkets, supermarkets leverage their smaller size for…
In 2023, vending maintained dynamic current value growth in South Korea, driven by the surge in outdoor activities following the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, although it remained a small channel within the overall retail landscape. This uptick…
Despite the low birth rate in South Korea, current value growth was maintained in baby and child-specific products in 2023. Parents are becoming increasingly savvy in terms of purchasing products that suit their children, regardless of whether they…
Bath and shower maintained solid current value growth in South Korea in 2023, although the rate of increase slowed compared with the peak seen over 2020-2022. Clean beauty, which emphasises gentle and natural ingredients, is highly favoured by…
Beauty and personal care maintained solid current value growth in South Korea in 2023. Mass beauty and personal care outpaced the growth rate of premium beauty and personal care in this year, although both saw growth. The upward standardisation of…
Colour cosmetics maintained dynamic current value growth in South Korea in 2023, with both premium and mass colour cosmetics experiencing healthy growth, with high single-digit increases. Mass colour cosmetics grew slightly faster than premium,…
Deodorants maintained solid current value growth in South Korea in 2023. Deodorant sprays continued to dominate deodorants, and also outpaced deodorant roll-ons, sticks and wipes in terms of value growth in 2023. Consumers prefer deodorant sprays for…
Depilatories maintained solid current value growth for another consecutive year in South Korea in 2023, although the rate of increase slowed compared with the previous couple of years. Nevertheless, women’s razors and blades continued to see robust…
Fragrances maintained double-digit current value growth in South Korea in 2023, with premium fragrances continuing to overwhelmingly dominate, and also seeing the strongest growth in this year. The super-premium segment in fragrances is primarily…
Hair care saw slow current value growth in South Korea in 2023. Sales and growth in premium hair care in South Korea lagged behind mass, due to the strong presence of mass brands which are effectively positioning themselves in various hair care…
Although growth slowed from the previous year, mass beauty and personal care maintained solid current value growth in South Korea in 2023. Mass colour cosmetics and general purpose body care were amongst the categories that saw healthy growth. Mass…
Men’s grooming maintained solid current value growth in South Korea in 2023. However, sales of premium men’s deodorants and premium men’s hair care products continued to be negligible, primarily because demand remains within the mass segment in these…
Oral care saw even stronger current value growth in South Korea in 2023 than in the previous few years. Consumer awareness of oral hygiene continues to grow, contributing to the healthy growth of the category in this year. Most categories within oral…
Premium beauty and personal care maintained solid but slowing current value growth in South Korea in 2023. Within premium beauty and personal care, fragrances, BB/CC creams, hand care, and lipstick demonstrated robust growth, amongst others. These…
In 2023, overall skin care saw only low current value growth in South Korea. However, while mass skin care experienced solid growth, premium skin care recorded a second consecutive year of decline. Mass brands exhibited rapid development in terms of…
Sun care saw dynamic current value growth in South Korea in 2023, with sales rising above the pre-pandemic level. Sun protection witnessed a notable rise, especially the mass segment, as outdoor activities increased. Several factors contributed to…
While instant coffee continued to decline, the desire for better-quality coffee is helping to continue to drive sales of fresh ground coffee pods, which are therefore becoming an increasing area of focus for coffee companies. Even after coffee pods…
Rigid plastic dominates packaging unit volumes in the South Korean soft drinks industry, predominantly in the form of PET bottles, but also thin wall plastic containers and HDPE bottles, although the latter pack type still has a very small footprint.…
Cat food is expected to maintain strong growth in South Korea in 2024, with a high single-digit current value increase, continuing the trend observed in 2023. However, the increases in these two years were lower than the steady double-digit growth…
After seeing minimal current value growth in 2023, dog food is set to record another year of low single-digit growth in South Korea in 2024. Due to the slowdown in growth in the dog population, and the economic downturn, there have been low growth…
In 2024, maintaining the negative trend seen in 2023, other pet food is set to see declines in both retail volume and current value terms in South Korea. During the pandemic, there was a notable increase in the population of other pets; however, in…
Pet care in South Korea has faced challenges amidst economic slowdown, but is expected to continue to demonstrate resilience and growth in both retail volume and current value terms in 2024. As the economy struggled and living expenses surged at the…
In 2024, pet products in South Korea is set to maintain the trend seen in 2023, displaying overall resilience, but each category exhibiting its own growth trajectory. Cat litter, for example, is expected to see continued consistent and robust…
After many years of growth, in 2023 toys and games in South Korea witnessed a notable current value decline, with traditional toys and games seeing only a slight fall in sales, and video games a stronger decrease. Toys and games witnessed a decrease…
After seeing a fairly steep decline in 2022, traditional toys and games in South Korea saw a further small fall in sales in current value terms in 2023. Only half the categories within traditional toys and games showed growth in 2023, with just four…
In 2023, video games in South Korea experienced a notable current value decline. This turnaround, after years of growth, was propelled by various factors, foremost among them being the waning impact of COVID-19, which led to a resurgence in outdoor…
Gardening in South Korea witnessed a slight current value decline in 2023, although many categories maintained solid growth. For instance, gardening equipment experienced increasing sales, due to the rising popularity of gardening as a recreational…
In 2023, home and garden in South Korea saw low current value growth, but faced mixed performances across various categories, influenced by the broader economic landscape and shifting consumer preferences. Real GDP growth slowed in 2023, impacting…
Home furnishings in Korea saw another year of current value decline in 2023, although this was slower than in the previous year. However, not all categories saw a declining trend; for instance, barbecues witnessed solid value growth in 2023. This was…
Home improvement in South Korea maintained dynamic current value growth in 2023, with a double-digit increase, maintaining the trend seen for the previous two years. Bathroom and sanitaryware maintained strong growth in home improvement in 2023, due…
In 2023, homewares in South Korea maintained a current value decline, although this was mainly due to normalisation after a peak in sales during the pandemic in 2020, and sales remained far above the pre-pandemic level. Dinnerware continued to see…
Retail volume and current value sales of cigarettes declined in 2023, maintaining the trend seen in 2022. Nevertheless, cigarettes still constitute a large proportion of sales in the overall tobacco industry. Whilst cigarettes experienced a negative…
Cigars and cigarillos in South Korea has shown significant increases in retail volume sales for four consecutive years, with double-digit growth seen in 2023. One of the main drivers behind the growth in consumption of cigars and cigarillos is a…
In 2023, heated tobacco products in South Korea maintained double-digit retail volume and current value growth. The competition for the top spots in heated tobacco is intensifying. KT&G, Philip Morris Korea, and Rothmans Far East (BAT) are all…
In 2023, overall retail current value sales of tobacco in South Korea showed a positive growth rate compared with the previous year, yet the growth rate was minimal, resulting in no significant difference in actual sales compared with 2022.
Contact lenses in South Korea is set to maintain solid but slower current value growth in 2024. Multifocal lenses are gaining significant popularity in the country, largely driven by the ageing population. As the demographic shift towards an older…
In 2024, overall eyewear in South Korea is set to see current value growth. The prevalence of vision impairments is on the rise in Korea, with an increasing number of people affected by presbyopia, myopia, and hyperopia. The overall increase in…
Spectacles in South Korea saw only slow current value growth in 2023, and this trend is anticipated to continue into 2024, with the expectation of a further slowdown in year-on-year growth. However, within spectacles, the three categories – readymade…
In 2023, sales of sunglasses in South Korea soared in current value terms, seeing a double-digit increase, reflecting a significant upward trend that is expected to accelerate in 2024. This impressive growth can be attributed to a variety of factors,…
In 2023, alcoholic drinks in South Korea turned to slight total volume decline. The industry navigated a complex landscape marked by high expectations for post-pandemic recovery, which was somewhat dampened by significant consumer cost burden due to…
Despite expectations that the endemic phase of the pandemic would herald a second year of dynamic revival for the on-trade, and a flourishing year for total volume sales of beer in 2023, beer in South Korea experienced stagnation, with declines seen…
RTDs in South Korea saw exceptional total volume growth in 2023, mainly driven by off-trade growth, although on-trade sales also saw a double-digit increase. Growth was primarily driven by an increase in light home drinking, and a rise in young…
Sprits in South Korea recorded a total volume decline in 2023. However, not all categories faced a negative performance. For instance, whiskies demonstrated robust growth, notably influenced by the behaviours of Generation Z of legal drinking age,…
In South Korea, the alcoholic drinks industry has been rapidly evolving, witnessing a swift transition from imported beers to craft beers, then to wines, and subsequently to whiskies and highballs. The industry is now speculating about the next big…
Chocolate confectionery in South Korea is expected to see low retail current value growth in 2024, along with marginal retail volume decline. Mixed developments are being seen in 2024, influenced by broader market trends and changing consumer…
Historically, gum experienced long-term stagnation or decline, with even more significant falls in sales seen during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, sales of gum in South Korea saw a resurgence in 2023 following the end of the pandemic, and growth is…
In 2024, ice cream in South Korea is expected to see trends similar to the previous year, with low retail volume growth and more dynamic current value growth. Consumer spending patterns reflect a growing preference for premium and healthier ice cream…
Savoury snacks in South Korea is set to maintain solid growth in both retail volume and current value terms in 2024. With a declining youth population in the country, consumers in their 30s and 40s are driving the popularity of savoury snacks,…
Snacks in South Korea is set to maintain solid retail current value growth in 2024, affected by multiple influences. Inflation, along with the rising costs of raw materials and labour, is exerting significant pressure on manufacturers, leading to…