South Africa

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…

As more middle-income households are struggling to reach month-end, due to the combined effects of rising interest rates, which have put pressure on existing vehicle and mortgage loans, as well as inflationary pressures, which have affected…

Thin wall plastic containers are widely favoured for packaging various dairy products, including butter and spreads and yoghurt in South Africa, due to their lightweight and durable nature. These containers offer a convenient solution for both…

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…

The prices of essential goods and services such as food and electricity have continued to rise in 2023, despite the relatively lower level of inflation, which moved from 7.0% in 2022 to 5.7% in 2023. Debit card value transactions benefited from this…

Despite remaining under financial pressure in 2023, demand for deodorants in South Africa continued to grow. However, many consumers reviewed their budgets and only prioritised certain products, while also becoming extremely strategic in terms of…

With South African consumers experiencing financial pressures in 2023 as the cost of living in the country increased, they searched for ways to reduce outgoings, including on depilatories. For many consumers, depilatories are essential, as shaving is…

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…

In 2023, direct selling in South Africa remained subject to challenging operating environments. Despite some stabilising of value sales following three consecutive years of decline as a result of the pandemic, there was still lower demand for certain…

In 2023, discounters in South Africa continued to record dynamic growth across all indicators. Despite decelerated food inflation, estimated at an average of 8.5% over 2023 as a whole compared to a 14-year high of 14.4% in March, South African…

The waning impact of the pandemic in South Africa has changed how many households operate in terms of busier lifestyles. The main change is that many employees continue to observe remote/hybrid working measures, and thus are spending greater time at…

Overall demand for dishwashing in South Africa continued to rise in 2023, supported by both automatic dishwashing and the dominant hand washing format. The number of dishwashers owned pre-pandemic when compared to after the lockdowns in South Africa…

The recent economic climate in South Africa has been characterised by significant challenges, with rising unemployment, inflation, steep hikes in interest rates, and economic pressure on the average consumer. These challenges are putting immense…

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…

The Durban in South Africa report provides comprehensive city level information benchmarked against other cities in the country and region. The report includes historic data and forecasts on city population, consumer expenditure, digital penetration,…

Economies in the Middle East and Africa experienced a downturn in 2020 after continuous expansion since 2015. The COVID-19 pandemic, coupled with slumping oil prices, has disturbed countries’ economic development and distorted public finances.…

The South African economy witnessed a slowdown in 2022, impacted by record power blackouts, resulting in load shedding and major business losses. A slowdown in industrial production weighed on exports, while the energy shortage raised import bills…

Both retail volume and current value sales of edible oils are set to see strong declines in 2023. After two years of exceptionally strong growth, the average unit prices of vegetable and seed oils have started to normalise over 2023, with prices…