Asia Pacific

Technological advances in 2024 will continue to reshape consumer behaviour. This annual report explores the top five digital shopper trends that will redefine commerce the most in the year ahead. Some of the trends included in this report’s edition…

Now in its seventh edition, this report explores the top digital shopper trends that will redefine commerce the most in the year ahead. Some of the trends included in this edition touch on topics such as second-hand shopping, community group buying,…

Tobacco in Vietnam returned to normal sales figures in 2022, after seeing a growth slump in 2020-2021 due to the event of COVID-19 and associated social distancing restrictions and lockdowns. However, after the Vietnamese government lifted these…

Cigarettes still dominate the tobacco category in Uzbekistan, with 2022 achieving a more positive trend in retail volume sales compared to the previous year. This was fuelled by organic population growth, with the number of adults of legal smoking…

With the exception of cigarettes, tobacco products - such as cigars and cigarillos, heated tobacco, and e-vapour products - commanded growth in 2022. The decline in smoking prevalence and governmental support for smokeless alternatives such as heated…

In 2022, the tobacco industry in Thailand was seeing some recovery in demand. The industry faced challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic due to government measures aimed at reducing infection rates. These restrictions, including closures, social…

In January 2023, the Legislative Yuan passed the third reading of the most anticipated amendment of the Tobacco Hazard Prevention Act. The amendment includes raising the smoking age to 20 years of age, increasing the proportion of warning pictures…

In 2022, the tobacco industry continues to witness rising prices due to tax increases and global inflation rates. This has boosted the illicit trade as low-income consumers are finding smoking increasingly unaffordable. Meanwhile, demand for…

In 2022, the tobacco industry in South Korea experienced surprisingly strong current value growth. While cigarettes in South Korea saw a slight retail volume decline, this became much more moderate compared with pre-COVID-19 years, and value sales…

Retail volume sales of cigarettes continued to decline in 2022, taking them below pre-pandemic levels. The economy price band was the least impacted by retail volume declines, aided by some consumers trading down to more affordable brands.…

Tobacco in Pakistan has a mixed layout. The province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is the major grower of tobacco crops, while Pakistan Tobacco Co Ltd and Philip Morris (Pakistan) Ltd hold the majority stake in the industry, due to their dominance of…

Consumption of tax-paid cigarettes continues to fall in 2022, with many consumers eschewing locally manufactured cigarettes in favour of either illicit imports or traditional cheroots and quids. Demand for the Red Ruby brand continues to decline…

Inflationary pressure increased commodity prices and the cost of living in Malaysia in 2022 and led many smokers to trade down to more affordable cigarettes, cigars and cigarillos or shift to cheaper options altogether, such as fine cut tobacco, as…

Despite government efforts to reduce smoking prevalence, cigarettes remain popular among the country’s large population of low-income men. Despite the struggling economy, consumers are not likely to cut out smoking but instead, trade down to…

Kazakhstan has strong trade links with Russia in particular and its war in Ukraine negatively impacted the economy and led to high inflation. While skyrocketing international oil and gas prices boosted the local economy, its usual outflow to the…

In 2022, the Japanese tobacco industry continued the trend of cigarettes recording a retail volume decline and heated tobacco products recording volume growth. While the tax on heated tobacco was increased in October 2022, heated tobacco maintained…

Tobacco in Indonesia recorded stronger growth in 2022 than in the previous year, largely thanks to an increase in economic activity with the country having suffered through the COVID-19 pandemic since early 2020. The purchasing power of consumers…

With social mobility returning to pre-COVID-19 levels post-pandemic, cigarettes have experienced the fastest volume growth in a decade, mainly fuelled by increased consumption occasions. The working population, including 316 million Millennials and a…

In 2022, retail volume sales of cigarettes remained fairly stagnant, seeing only a minor increase, with sales limited by the fact that smoking prevalence in Hong Kong has decreased over the years thanks to a series of tobacco control initiatives. The…

The pandemic and associated lockdowns did not have a material impact on tobacco consumption in China. Both retail volume and current value sales of cigarettes continued to witness stable growth, driven by stable consumer demand, and product…

In 2023, cigarette consumption in Cambodia has seen a gradual decline. This trend is driven by several factors such as a notable increase in e-cigarette use, particularly among younger consumers, the recent implementation of a VAT on cigarettes, and…

In 2023, the inflation rate in Bangladesh is very high, causing a significant increase in essential commodity prices over the past year. Despite this, tobacco sales have improved, primarily due to the widespread availability of single-stick sales,…

Overall, it was a positive picture for tobacco in Azerbaijan in 2023, with only marginal volume decline.

E-vapour products in China was devasted by a substantial package of industry regulations and policy updates throughout 2022, restricting the production, wholesale, and retail operations of e-cigarette players. The ban on flavoured e-vapour products,…

With the passing of the RA 11900 or the Vape Law in 2022, there is a stricter regulatory environment regarding the manufacturing and importation, as well distribution and sales, of e-vapour products and heated tobacco. These categories registered…

Smokeless tobacco had a negligible presence in Indonesia in 2022, with a limited number of sellers selling these products, with sales mainly limited to retail e-commerce. Nonetheless, Tigersnus, a Swedish-style snus, has been produced in Indonesia…

In 2022, heated tobacco continued to grow strongly despite a tax increase in October 2022. Heated tobacco had been classified as pipe tobacco for the tax category, and the tax had been determined by converting 1g of product weight into one stick of…

Heated tobacco products saw very strong, if slower, retail current growth and positive retail volume growth in 2022. The competitive price of heated tobacco when compared with cigarettes afforded the category good growth potential. In addition, wider…

The market for reduced risk products (RRPs), including e-cigarettes, heat-not-burn tobacco products (heated tobacco products) and vaping products was populated with imports at the end of the review period. With the rise in import taxes, the category…

The Indian government took measures to prohibit direct and indirect advertising of tobacco products, including smokeless tobacco, following its ratification of the World Health Organisation (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) and the…

E-vapour products made a strong rebound in 2022 following the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Supply issues were common in 2020 leading to shortages and, consequently, price rises. This led to consumers searching for cheaper options.…

Heated tobacco products experienced another year of current value and volume growth in 2022. Smokers who were not ready to quit smoking, but were sensitive to the smell of cigarette smoke, chose heated tobacco products, looking for an option they…

Retail current value sales of smokeless tobacco, e-vapour products and heated tobacco remain negligible in Uzbekistan.

Overall, it was a positive picture for smokeless tobacco, e-vapour products and heated tobacco in Azerbaijan in 2023. In terms of e-vaping products, closed system single use registered significant value and volume growth, with Chinese brands…

On 30 April 2022, the sale of alternative smoking products came to an end in Hong Kong. The legislation prohibited the import, promotion, manufacturing, sale, or possession of any kind of alternative smoking product, including e-vapour products and…

E-vapour and heated tobacco products remains an underdeveloped category in Vietnam, however, this is expected to develop further over the forecast period. During 2022, the Vietnamese government and associated authorities, especially the Ministry of…

For e-vapour products, there was a significant increase in constant value sales, with sales increasing by a fifth. In particular, closed single-use vaping systems registered huge growth. Their popularity is growing due to ease of use and a wide…

This report considers what socialising will look like in a post-COVID-19 era, focusing on several key questions. A return to the “Roaring Twenties” in the beverages space or a continuing decimation of the on-trade? How has socialising changed (eg…

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has triggered the most severe global recession since World War II. In Q4 2020, the end of the pandemic started as countries began administering effective vaccines among the population; however, vaccine distribution…

This report examines inflation levels and drivers globally and in key countries in Q4 2023 and 2024. Global inflation is moderating, although divergence remains among the key economies. Higher volatility in the energy markets and disruption of…

This report examines inflation levels and drivers globally and in key countries. Global inflation is reaching a peak, although geopolitical risks and uncertainty in the energy market remain key risks. The impact varies between countries, with…

The briefing introduces the Cities Households Necessities Spending Index. The index ranks 1,075 cities by household expenditure on non-discretionary items, namely food, housing, and clothing and footwear. This analysis focuses on 160 major cities.…

Cigars continued to register a strong performance in 2022, with double digit volume growth. However, cigars remain relatively niche and attributed to higher-income consumers such as businessmen and executives, due to their expensive prices. Moreso,…

Cigars and cigarillos are considered niche products in Uzbekistan as they are not as widely consumed as regular cigarettes. They are typically sought out by those seeking luxurious and prestigious items, with many purchased as gifts or for special…

With the easing of COVID-19 related restrictions in 2022, the disrupted supply of imported cigars that was seen in 2020 and 2021 was less of an issue at the end of the review period. The niche market of cigars and cigarillos and the efforts of…

Thailand's cigar and cigarillos market is relatively small and dominated by imported cigars, with a limited number of local manufacturers. Cigars and cigarillos are perceived to be premium products by Thai consumers and as such are mainly only…

Cigars and cigarillos have achieved steady growth as consumers increasingly choose to consume more sophisticated products. While cigarillos face lower taxes than cigarettes, they are the same price as cigarettes making them an attractive option to…

In 2022, cigars and cigarillos in South Korea saw significant growth. Increased consumer interest in cigars since the pandemic was the main factor supporting growth. According to local keyword search statistics from Naver, consumer searches for…

In April 2022, all nightlife-related businesses in Singapore were permitted to fully reopen, including bars, pubs, discotheques, and nightclubs. During the Circuit Breaker period in April and May 2021, all on-trade establishments were forced to close…

Considered a luxury and leisure item, cigars are smoked by customers who are affluent, and the category is niche in Pakistan. Moreover, retail volume sales of cigarillos, pipe tobacco and fine cut tobacco remained negligible in 2022. Although, the…