Digestive Remedies in Guatemala

PROSPECTS

Busy lifestyles and poor eating habits drive sales

The effects of urbanisation are the strongest driver of sales of digestive remedies in Guatemala. Longer commuting times, which mean that consumers do not have the time to return home for lunch, are forcing them to eat in restaurants and develop poor eating habits, since they usually eat greasy or spicy food that brings the risk of digestive problems, such as acid reflux and diarrhoea.

Antacids is the largest and fastest-growing category

Antacids recorded the highest and fastest-growing retail volume and value sales in digestive remedies in 2018. Consumers can choose from a wide range of remedies that offer fast relief.

Natural remedies may limit growth potential

The common use and offer of natural products may negatively affect category growth over the forecast period, as consumers trust the properties of natural remedies for digestive relief. Consumers believe that OTC digestive remedies can be easily replaced by a wide variety of natural alternatives, such as camomile, pericon tea or spearmints leaves, which are easily found in the marketplace or their own garden or backyard.

COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

Generics appeal widely

As Guatemalans are very price-sensitive, generics accounted for the highest single share of retail value sales of digestive remedies in 2018. Consumers usually trust pharmacists’ recommendations on what products they should use to treat their symptoms.

International brands have strong participation

In 2018, the leading branded companies remained Bayer de Guatemala and GlaxoSmithKline Guatemala, with their leading Alka-Seltzer and Sal Andrews brands, respectively. Alka-Seltzer and Sal Andrews enjoy very high brand recognition and wide distribution, which afford them strong participation in the market.

Alimentos Maravilla launches a new oral rehydration solution

Alimentos Maravilla is a very important domestic company in Guatemala, owned by Cervecería Centroamericana and present in several categories, such as non-alcoholic drinks, snacks and breakfast cereals. In March 2018, the company launched its first OTC rehydration solution: Suero Beberé.

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