South Africa

The value size of premium beauty and personal care in South Africa remained considerably smaller than that of the mass segment in 2023, with the latter also recording a more dynamic growth performance. As many local consumers struggled with the cost…

Baby and child-specific products in South Africa remained resilient in 2023, despite a struggling economy. Many consumers continued to prioritise their children’s wellbeing, supporting further demand across the category. This ongoing positive…

South Africa is no longer facing the restrictions of the pandemic, employees have returned to offices and consumers are generally spending greater time outside of the home. This also means that hospitals are no longer full of patients requiring…

Sales of mass beauty and personal care in South Africa continued to rise in 2023, with many consumers struggling with the cost of living. Cash-strapped consumers became stricter with their budgets, and reduced their shopping list for their beauty and…

The shortage of electricity across the country has resulted in increasing demand for alternative power sources such as solar and gas. Since the introduction of load shedding in South Africa, which restricts access to electricity for a certain amount…

Traditional toys and games saw strong growth in current value terms in 2022. Sales were driven by an increase in footfall in traditional toys and games stores, the partial recovery of household incomes and the increased desire for entertainment at…

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 in the previous year, in 2023 ready meals and soups is set to see solid retail volume growth, along with dynamic double-digit current value growth as a result of inflationary price rises. The growing demand for healthy and convenient ready meals…

As the price of wheat has increased over the review period as a result of the war in Ukraine, some South Africans have been reducing their bread consumption, leading to a stronger switch to other staple foods such as rice, since it can stretch…

The number of financial cards in circulation is set to continue to increase in 2023, supported by a steady rise in the banked population and the intensified competition between issuers. Meanwhile, value transactions across categories such as debit…

With the continued development of the health and wellness industry in South Africa, children are being increasingly targeted as a significant consumer group for healthier soft drinks. Much of this is being driven by local parents, who are becoming…

Toys and games continued to see strong growth in current value terms in South Africa in 2022, backed by an uptick in economic activity and the easing of COVID-19 control measures. Both traditional toys and games and video games saw slightly stronger…

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…

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…

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…

Nut and seed based spreads remained the largest category in sweet spreads packaging in retail unit volumes in 2022, recording positive growth in line with demand for these popular products in South Africa. These products are generally perceived as…

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…

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,…

Personal grooming across the country is becoming an increasingly important aspect of many consumers’ lives. While this concept was traditionally linked to female consumers in South Africa, due to the stigma attached to male consumers who indulged in…

As mobility has normalised in 2023, following restrictions imposed during the pandemic, demand for pre-paid cards for the Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) system has benefited from households resuming activities such as work and school. Growth in…