Demand for store cards in South Africa was already stagnating towards the end of the review period as retailers, including apparel and footwear specialist retailers and departments stores, grew increasingly concerned about issuing cards due to the increasing number of South Africans getting into high amounts of debt that they would be unable to pay off in full. Some consumers perceive store cards as another method of gaining credit which allows them to purchase goods which they may not be…

Charge cards are not currently available in South Korea and are not likely to be introduced during the forecast period.

Euromonitor International's Charge Card Transactions in South Korea report establishes the size and structure of the market for ATMs cards, smart cards, credit cards, debit cards, charge cards, pre-paid cards and store cards. It looks at key players in the market (issuers and operators), number of cards in circulation, numbers transactions and value of transactions.…

COVID-19 resulted in many Taiwanese consumers stockpiling systemic analgesics as the virus took hold. This was particularly evident from January to early April. The trend was underpinned by an unwillingness among consumers to go to hospitals or clinics during the pandemic in order to minimise the risk of infection, and increased consumption of pain killers as they sought to combat certain symptoms. Very few purchases were due to so-called “panic-buying”, as these products are considered…

COVID-19 resulted in increased consumer interest in prevention and self-treatment in Taiwan in 2020. The systemic analgesics and cold and cough remedies categories demonstrated higher growth in 2020 than the previous year as a result. This was further underpinned by consumers’ reluctance to visit hospitals or clinics during the pandemic, in order to minimise the possibility of infection. This led to increased purchases of OTC products to treat certain symptoms, and contributed to the growth…

The cough, cold and allergy remedies category saw a stronger performance in 2020 than in 2019, with demand boosted by COVID-19. At the pandemic took hold, consumers sought products for the self-treatment of symptoms, and avoided visiting hospitals or clinics. This particularly boosted sales during Q1 2020. Combination products saw the most significant growth, with 2020 almost doubling the performance seen in 2019. This was because this is the top-of-mind category among consumers for the…

Dermatologicals in general were considered less essential than other OTC categories, such as, cold remedies and systemic analgesics for rapid relief from cold symptoms during the pandemic. As a result, the dermatologicals category as a whole dropped into negative growth territory in 2020. Meanwhile, home seclusion also reduced demand for antifungal products, and other categories relevant to outdoor activities.

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Probiotic supplements have grown rapidly over the past few years due to rising demand and brands’ strong performance. Probiotic supplements offer various features and functions, including fortifying the immune system, which led to a spike in demand due to the outbreak of COVID-19 in the first half of 2020. This was underpinned by the fact that Taiwanese consumers have long been careful about digestive health, due to the country’s strong dining-out culture, and the fact that the incidence of…

The digestive remedies category dropped into negative growth territory in 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. In general, digestive remedies were considered less essential products, and not top-of-mind for stockpiling, or as consumers took preventative measures. Another reason for reduced demand for products in the category was changes to consumer lifestyles that occurred as a result of the pandemic. As Taiwanese citizens stayed at home more, especially during Q1 and early Q2 2020,…

The eye care category saw an improved performance in 2020 compared with in 2019, as eye hygiene became increasingly important to consumers as the pandemic took hold. Demand for eye care products increased in Taiwan as awareness that coronavirus can easily be contracted via the eyes grew, and consumers sought products perceived as offering some level of added protection. The standard eye care category accounted for all sales at the end of the review period, with no presence of allergy eye…

Due to COVID-19, consumer demand for products offering immunity and increasing personal wellbeing surged in 2020. Consumers tend to believe a stronger immune system will better defend the human body from infection. As well as vitamins, consumers also have a greater preference for herbal/traditional dietary supplements and tonics to boost immunity. The majority of consumers consider products made with natural or herbal ingredients to be best for immunity, health strengthening, and most…

COVID-19 is expected to greatly benefit pasta, rice and noodles, with double-digit current value growth and healthy retail volume growth. This compares with a retail volume decline in 2019. Pasta, rice and noodles are deemed an essential product and are one of the main ingredients of many Kazakh dishes. Also, more cooking at home contributed to the value and volume growth, as did a degree of stockpiling. In addition, there was less sales of unpackaged rice, pasta and noodles as they were…

During COVID-19 consumers overwhelmingly turned to stockpiling when it came to essential food products and this changing purchasing behaviour is expected to see particularly dramatic results in rice, pasta and noodles as products in this category are already staple and cheap ingredients in a range of diets and also last a long time. There were particular concerns, among both consumers and distribution channels, over the continued availability of rice, which is a central component of many…

Rice, pasta and noodles is expected to see a dramatic surge in demand in 2020 as consumers have been eating more meals at home due to COVID-19 restrictions and fewer foodservice options. Stockpiling is also expected to contribute to growth in the category as consumers are buying larger quantities of products with long shelf lives, such as products in this category. Instant noodles is expected to lead growth in the category in 2020, albeit from a low base. Rice, however, is expected to see a…

After seeing several years of retail volume decline, rice, pasta and noodles has seen a strong increase in 2020, along with an even stronger current value increase. As COVID-19 spread and different government measures were introduced, Singapore saw panic-buying by consumers, especially when the Disease Outbreak Response System Condition (DORSCON) status was raised to Orange and Circuit Breaker measures were announced. This panic-buying left many empty shelves in supermarket sections…

Rice is a must-have staple in Vietnamese cuisine and is consumed by most people on a daily basis. As such, rice-based products remained on trend at the end of the review period with rice-based products being popular local ingredients in dishes such as Ph?, Bún Bò Hu? or H? Ti?u. Dishes such as these are also highly popular in foodservice among office workers and when generally dining out.

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Sauces, dressings and condiments will see retail current value and volume sales grow at a higher rate in 2020 than the previous year. This growth will in large part be due to an increase in consumption of sauces, dressings and condiments at home. The pandemic altered the lifestyle of many people and with home seclusion and the closing of foodservice outlets, sales of sauces, dressings and condiments shifted from foodservice to retail. While herbs and spices is anticipated to see the highest…

Sauces, dressings and condiments are set to see strong growth in retail volume and value sales in 2020 as a result of the onset of COVID-19, although less spectacular than many other packaged food products in Colombia over the same period. The reasons for this growth in demand are broadly in line with other product trends. From the middle of March, schools in Colombia were closed, non-essential retail was closed, non-essential travel was restricted, dine-in foodservice was shut down and…

COVID-19 will lead to an acceleration in retail current value sales growth in sauces, dressings and condiments in Croatia during 2020. However, volume growth in retail sales will be smaller than the volume decline in foodservice sales in absolute terms, due to the severe impact of the pandemic on the local tourism industry. Nonetheless, with consumers spending more time at home, many of them are preparing more home-cooked meals, which has boosted demand for cooking ingredients, particularly…

In 2020, sauces, dressings and condiments is set to see slightly higher current value growth than in the previous year. At the onset of the pandemic when the country went into lockdown in mid-March, consumers eagerly stocked up on various products they needed at home. Since consumers were anticipating spending more time at home and having limited access to stores as well as restaurants, they were eager to purchase sauces, dressings and condiments to support their increased cooking activities…

As a result of the closure of restaurants, an increase in the number of employees working from home and families at home with children who could not attend kindergarten or school for weeks on end, demand for sauces, dressings and condiments has risen sharply, especially for products that are often needed for quick cooking. Particularly strong growth has been seen in tomato pastes and purées, cooking sauces and pasta sauces, ie products that can be stored for a long time. Mustard and barbecue…