Malaysia

Price competition remains very high in contact lenses and solutions and this means that the leading companies and brands are focused on keeping unit prices as low as possible to stimulate demand. One strategy that was noted in the category during ...

2019 saw eyewear in Malaysia continue to register solid positive sales growth as various different consumer lifestyle trends had a positive influence on purchasing decisions in different eyewear categories. In contact lenses, the desire for greater ...

With price-consciousness growing among Malaysian consumers, consumers are increasingly looking for spectacles offered at discounted prices. In particular, this has led to fierce price competition among the country’s leading optical stores, which now ...

Legitimate sales of designer sunglasses remain under strong pressure from counterfeit sunglasses, which are still widely available from street markets throughout Malaysia. The brands most commonly counterfeited include Ray-Ban, Dior, Oakley and ...

Luxury goods brands continued to drive sales in bags and luggage in 2019, dominating the list of leading names in the category and generating the strongest increases in sales. Consumer sentiment remains very positive among the core consumer base for ...

The popularity of costume jewellery continued to increase in 2019, for various reasons. One major influence is the high crime rate in some major urban areas, with many becoming increasingly fearful of snatch thefts and robberies. Specifically, this ...

Personal accessories in Malaysia continued to register positive growth in 2019, although the industry’s performance was tempered somewhat by waning demand, high levels of competition and widespread price discounting. However, the building trend for ...

Smartwatches are becoming more popular among the population of Malaysia and these items are now a significant presence in retail outlets. In particular, rising demand has led to the emergence of a new range of highly affordable smartwatches. These ...

With the basic functions of pens now largely taken over by digital communications, the image of writing instruments generally but pens in particular has shifted somewhat, moving away from being basic everyday items to become seen more as category of ...

In 2018, Malaysian consumers enjoyed a tax holiday after the Goods and Services Tax (GST) of 6% was lifted at the end of May. This led to improved consumer sentiment and promotional sales, which in turn saw an increase in volume sales, especially ...

In 2018, cider/perry continued to gain traction amongst millennial consumers for consumption at home as well as for drinking occasions at dinners and parties. This can be attributed to its low alcoholic content and sweet taste, which amateur drinkers...

Despite the weak ringgit currency in 2018, alcoholic drinks in Malaysia continued to see solid performance driven by a recovering consumer sentiment and players’ aggressive marketing activities. Category growth was underpinned by robust growth in the...

In December 2017, the Malaysian government enforced a new ruling to impede alcohol misuse encouraged by a wide availability of cheap, compounded hard liquor sold in small pack sizes. Under the new Regulation 386A, compounded hard liquor can only be ...

In 2018 the wine-drinking culture further developed in Malaysia due to increasing awareness through media coverage and branding campaigns. Brand owners held various tasting and pairing events throughout the year to promote new product variants as ...

Smoking cigars and cigarillos is becoming more mainstream. These products are increasingly accessible to a wider audience, as convenience stores, newsagent-tobacconists/kiosks and supermarkets have widened their product selections in the affordable ...

Overall tobacco returned to minor current value growth in 2018, after a strong decline in 2017. Cigarettes continued to decline in both volume and current value terms, although the declines were slower than in the previous year, due to improved ...

2018 witnessed steady growth in the number and percentage of vapers in Malaysia, and current value sales of e-vapour products continued to rise. However, growth was slower than in 2017. Open vaping systems and e-liquids observed much slower growth, ...

In 2018, cigarettes witnessed a wider range of different variants of economy products, along with wider availability. This encouraged an increasing number of smokers to trade down to cheaper options, with the share of the economy segment seeing a ...

Toys and games in Malaysia continued to post double-digit current value growth, primarily driven by the strong performance of video games, particularly digital video games software. Video games also continued to benefit from product innovation, with ...

Demand for traditional toys and games continued to be driven by millennial parents with more than one child in the family. These parents enjoy high disposable incomes and improved living standards, allowing them to invest in toys that they perceive ...