Articles
Chart of the Month: Consumers and Companies Align on Climate Concerns and Sustainability Action
Paula Ferolla
Many consumers strive to make sustainable choices in their purchases and daily habits. This puts increased pressure on brands to provide transparency and ethical products and services to their customers. In response, many companies have a proactive sustainability strategy in place.
Cold Wash: Embracing a Central Growth Strategy in Laundry Care
Filip Hoffmann-Häußler
There are structural government and industry shifts that continue to increase the prominence of cold wash, and there is a hard fact that will drive it beyond opposition. If every home on the planet used an automatic washing machine with the energy-inefficient hot wash behaviours of today, that would dramatically increase global household electricity use against an existing energy supply shortfall in developed and developing markets, and a looming CO2 emissions crisis.
Tech-Focused Investments: Retailers' Pursuit of New Concepts
Marija Milasevic
The retail landscape is continuously transforming in response to evolving consumer needs. Retailers must introduce new concepts to adapt to changing shopping behaviour and market conditions. In 2023 retailers’ new launches were around five key areas: New Digital Interfaces, Responsible Retail, Simplified Shopping, Experiential Retail and Data-Driven Retail. These five themes encompass trends that are expected to have the most influence on the development of new concepts within the retail sector over the next five years.
Three Key Global Consumer Trends in Pet Care for 2024
Ekaterina Tretyakova
Each year, Euromonitor International identifies the top global trends that reflect changing consumer values and behavioural shifts, which significantly impact the business landscape. Three consumer trends—Value Hackers, Delightful Distractions and Wellness Pragmatists—stand out as the most relevant for the pet care industry in 2024, primarily due to the impact of inflation, pet humanisation and health concerns.
Winners of Innovation: Key Markets, Categories and Retailers for NPD
Egle Tekutyte
On World Creativity and Innovation Day, a global UN day celebrated on 21st April, Euromonitor International provides insights on the most innovative countries, product categories and retailers, based on new product launches across global digital shelf. Monitoring new launches and their development empowers companies to identify opportunities and invest in innovation strategically.
Decoding Channel Preferences in Consumer Foodservice
Mikaely Correa
After the pandemic, despite players' expectations that circulation restrictions imposed during the crisis would stimulate consumers' desire to seek more out-of-home experiences, foodservice on-premises consumption (global value in USD current terms) has not yet returned to the levels seen in 2019 (pre-pandemic).
ByteDance - TikTok’s Parent’s Financial Expansion Objectives: Where Does Union Mobile Pay Acquisition Fit?
David Zhang
In April 2024, ByteDance was reported to acquire Union Mobile Pay (UMP) for CNY1.4 billion (USD200 million), pending regulatory approval. ByteDance operates popular social media and commerce platforms (TikTok and Douyin). This article analyses its strategic objectives of financial expansion, and the key threats and opportunities in relation to financial industries. UMP is considered to be a key chess piece of the game.
ICBC Barcelona: Mitigating Uncertainty in Legal Cannabis
Shane MacGuill
This year’s ICBC Barcelona took place in March, in the shadow of uncertainty. The legal cannabis industry has been struggling against several headwinds – lack of regulatory momentum, continued consumer ambiguity and capital constraints – which are collectively clouding the outlook for operators in one of the world’s youngest consumer sectors.
Fashion Marketplaces in Europe: Challenges and Opportunities Ahead
Brando De Carlo Coleman
During the COVID-19 pandemic, apparel and footwear e-commerce witnessed a strong boost in sales, as customers were forced to turn to online shopping owing to restrictions and store closures. Yet, since the easing of restrictions, in-store shopping has bounced back and, with it, the share of online sales dropped. This has left many luxury online players struggling under the pressure of either slowing or declining sales.