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…

After a return to healthy growth in 2021, following the pandemic-induced decline in 2020, snacks sales were again negatively impacted by COVID-19 in 2022, as case numbers spiked in China, the region’s biggest market. However, although volume sales…

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…

Older adults are a key consumer group, as companies explore opportunities in the context of an ageing population across Asia Pacific markets. This report investigates the evolving consumption habits not only of senior consumers, but also of those…

Traditionally, sweet biscuits are generally consumed in India with tea and coffee or as an impulse indulgence. With increasingly health-conscious consumers in the country, there is greater scrutiny over the levels of sugar present in sweet biscuits.…

In a category saturated with toffees, caramels and nougat, boiled sweets and mints in India, pastilles, gummies, jellies, and chews bring a novelty factor in terms of product format, healthier alternative perspective and interesting flavours. Falero,…

Snacks in India experienced strong double-digit value growth in 2022 supported by the strong performances of ice cream and chocolate confectionery. Post-pandemic, pent-up demand combined with the extended summer season drove the growth of ice cream,…

According to Euromonitor International’s Economies and Consumer data for India, the percentage of households with access to the internet has increased from 29.2% in 2019 to 45.3% in 2023. With greater access to the internet, there has been a marked…

2022 was exceptional for ice cream, with year-on-year value growth of 38% compared to 2021. This was because of extreme hot weather combined with pent-up demand. According to IMD (Indian Metrological Department), India had one of the hottest summers…

The demand for gum, namely chewing gum and bubble gum, remains relatively muted in 2023. A large proportion of gum purchases are impulse in nature and low-ticket price purchases. Most purchases of gum tend to be made from small local grocers, and are…

The per capita consumption of chocolate confectionery in India in 2023 is only 7% of consumption in the US and 10% of consumption in the UK. Generally, chocolate confectionery in India has limited mind space association, primarily focused on gifting,…

In the second half of 2022, there was a recovery for sweet biscuits, snack bars, and fruit snacks, as local consumers began to resume their social life. With COVID-19 restrictions easing and vaccination rates increasing in the second half of the…

Retail volume and retail current value sales of medicated confectionery have recovered after the decline seen in 2020, which can be attributed to the heightened focus on health and wellbeing during and after COVID-19. In Hong Kong, the outbreak of…

COVID-19 remains a key factor shaping snacks, which is leading to positive impacts in certain categories, and negative impacts in others. From March 2023, when Hong Kong eventually ended the mask mandate, chewing gum, which serves as a convenient way…

Potato chips remained one of the most popular savoury snacks amongst consumers in Hong Kong in 2022, experiencing a steady increase in retail volume terms, which was primarily attributed to the growing prevalence of snacking occasions, such as the…

In Hong Kong, the impact of COVID-19 began to diminish in the second half of 2022, and so did the craving for ice cream as eating habits changed. In particular, take-home ice cream witnessed a stronger decline compared with impulse ice cream in this…

The COVID-19 pandemic had a negative impact on sales of gum, and made its recovery protracted. However, starting from the second half of 2022, people started to return to their normal social life, leading to an increasing number of occasions for…

Hong Kong consumers are becoming more adventurous in their search for new taste experiences, and players are finding ways to cater to consumers’ expanding palate in chocolate confectionery. For example, in late 2022, Hong Kong’s dominant distribution…

Low consumer spending due to the economic crisis was not the only issue that snacks players faced in 2023 as the falling exchange value of the Sri Lankan rupee, limited access to foreign currency, supply chain issues and interruptions to the power…

In 2022, and continuing into 2023, inflation was fuelled by increases in the costs of food and energy, particularly exacerbated by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Therefore, although consumers have still been open to purchasing indulgence products,…

In 2023, sugar confectionery is set to see strong performances in both retail volume and current value terms in Uzbekistan. After sales stagnated in 2020, and rebounded in 2021, there was slow expansion in 2022, and even stronger growth is expected…

Snacks is expected to see another successful year in 2023, remaining resilient despite a turbulent period due to impacts from the war in Ukraine and inflationary pressures. As a result of the removal of pandemic restrictions in 2022, and a return to…

While in 2020 and 2021, savoury snacks were considered as a treat for consumers to fight the boredom of home seclusion during the pandemic, in 2022 and 2023, in the post-COVID-19 period, people have been returning to their previous routines, and…

With the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions and the return to everyday routines, ice cream returned to growth, and 2023 is set to see an even stronger retail volume increase than 2022, and maintain double-digit current value growth. With hot summers,…

After seeing a retail volume decline in 2020 during the first year of the pandemic, gum returned to growth, and this is set to continue in 2023 as impulse consumption occasions continue to return. Although volume sales are set to rise, current value…

Rising inflation has been denting households’ purchasing power and consumer spending in 2023. Nevertheless, despite certain shifts in consumer behaviour, willingness to spend on chocolate confectionery is still rising in 2023, and retail volume sales…

The trend towards consuming snacks at home is continuing post-pandemic, with sweet biscuits benefitting more than savoury crackers and potato chips. Taiwanese consumers have developed a stronger craving for sweetness and find comfort in sweet snacks,…

In 2023, medicated confectionery and mints are seeing a further recovery in retail volume sales, with current value sales moving closer to pre-pandemic levels. As the mask mandate was lifted inside and outside, consumers are increasingly returning to…

In 2023, consumer lifestyles began to return to normality after the COVID-19 pandemic, with the prevalence of home snacking consumption decreasing. Regular outings and social occasions led to a shift back to impulse snacking when on-the-go. This was…

Similar to other snack categories, the demand for savoury snacks, especially chips and puffed biscuits, continued to grow in 2022 due to home seclusion. As the country emerged from the pandemic, consumption shifted from larger or multi-pack options…

Ice cream is seeing a noticeable slowdown in retail volume and current value sales in 2023, with sales normalising in foodservice following a strong year in 2022. Although single-portion ice cream sold in convenience stores has experienced a full…

Gum sales have been recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic since the third quarter of 2022. During this period, consumers started venturing out of their homes and returning to their normal daily activities. In December 2022, the Taiwanese government…

Consumer demand for chocolate confectionery has stabilised in 2023, with consumption shifting from bulk purchases in supermarkets to impulse small packs in convenience stores. Overall, volume sales of chocolate confectionery are nearing pre-COVID…

In Pakistan, biscuits are commonly consumed at tea time with plain biscuits one of the most popular options. Indeed, tea with biscuits is a cherished tradition for many consumers. During this tea time ritual, biscuits are often seen as a luxurious…

The sweet biscuits category is showing a healthy increase in sales in 2023. Kazakhstan is a country where there are many children in families, and partly as a result, historically, the population has consumed a lot of sweets. However, as…

Sugar confectionery is immensely popular among kids in Pakistan as it constitutes an affordable treat. Children mainly purchase sweets from neighbourhood shops with their pocket money and hence are quite price-sensitive. In 2023, with inflation…

The sugar confectionery category experienced similar problems to chocolate confectionery in 2022, as a key ingredient used in the production of these products is sugar, which was in short supply due to export restrictions from Russia. As a result,…

Aggressive inflation has reduced consumer purchasing power in 2023, prompting shifts on the demand and supply side. Consumers are opting for more affordable snack options and are seeking substitutes for higher-priced products. To address this trend,…

There was a significant increase in the price of food products, including in the snacks category, in Kazakhstan in 2022. The confectionery and sweet biscuits categories showed the most growth in value terms, as manufacturers had problems with the…

Due to rising inflation, savoury snacks manufacturers have introduced different product sizes, to cater for different customer segments. Some consumers prefer buying value sized products, as it provides greater value for money on the weekly shop. By…

In 2022, the savoury snacks category experienced considerable price inflation, which was associated with an increase in the cost of logistics and raw materials, and prices have continued to rise in 2023. The category has shown moderate growth in…

In 2022, there was a major shift towards ice cream parlours in the urban and metropolitan cities of Pakistan. However, the import ban placed on luxury goods hit imported ice cream hard in this year, with ice cream parlours forced to close for some…

The ice cream category is continuing its recovery from the negative effects of the COVID-19 crisis. Sales volumes are returning to normal pre-pandemic patterns. In 2022, the category grew both in volume and value terms. Value sales showed a markedly…

There has been a shift in consumption patterns in Pakistan, as rapid urbanization and exposure to western cultures has filtered into Pakistan. The introduction of a variety of flavours and sugar-free gum options is expanding the appeal of chewing…

In 2023, the gum category is set to see a slight increase in volume terms. This is due to the fact that the impact of the COVID-19 crisis has waned and the population has returned to a more normal lifestyle. In this context, with much higher levels…

Demand for chocolate confectionery in Pakistan remains robust in 2023, despite the every-increasing rate of inflation. Soaring raw material and production costs are forcing manufacturers to look at ways to reduce unit costs. Many have shifted towards…

In 2023, the chocolate confectionery category is set to see a slight recovery after a drop in sales in the previous year. The main reason for the poor performance in 2022 was problems with the supply of products, as well as raw materials for local…

In 2023, Myanmar's recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and military coup faces new challenges due to global inflation. Soaring prices have led to decreased purchasing power, prompting a shift in snack consumption patterns. Consumers are downtrading…

In 2023, snacks in Laos continues to benefit from the full reopening of the economy as the COVID-19 pandemic has come to an end. With students returning to educational institutes full-time, this has partially driven demand as snacks are popular lunch…

Sweet biscuits, snack bars and fruit snacks is expected to register healthy volume and constant value growth in 2023, despite continuing economic uncertainty. Azerbaijan’s high energy export revenue should protect the economy to an extent. That being…