Weight management and wellbeing is expected to see slightly higher current value growth in 2020 compared to the previous year. Much like in other product areas in consumer health, there was an increase in demand for supplement nutrition drinks and weight loss supplements, albeit a not too drastic one, in the first quarter of the year but this trend soon normalised in the second quarter. With the lockdown in place, some Pakistani consumers seized the occasion to take better care of their…

Rising consumer awareness of eye health, combined with ageing populations with myopia and presbyopia are driving value growth for eyewear globally, led by Asia Pacific. As a result of Coronavirus, more discretionary eyewear, mainly sunglasses, is expected to underperform in comparison to more essential eye care categories, such as spectacles. The industry is also seeing an acceleration of the e-commerce shift, supported by the adoption of digital tools, such as virtual try-on and…

Wound care is expected to maintain similar current value growth in 2020 to that seen the year prior. The category saw, compared to other OTC categories, a smaller increase in demand during panic-buying as a result of COVID-19 in the first quarter of the year. During quarantine, both adults and children had limited opportunities to engage in physical activities outdoors, leading to fewer injuries and thus less need for replacement purchases. As restrictions ease, more injuries are expected to…

The impact on consumer lending of COVID-19 as well as the measures implemented to try and contain its spread in Australia have seen consumers reluctant to take out new loans and even keen to pay off existing debt. This was reflected in the decline in gross lending expected to be seen over 2020 as a whole, while the rise in outstanding balance will have been as much to do with the inability of consumers and businesses to pay off existing debt with much of the economy closed down. However,…

As elsewhere in the world, Australia’s financial cards and payments industry has been heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and the measures taken to contain its spread in the country. Among the distinct trends visible in Australia have been the accelerated shift to e-commerce, with stores closed and consumers locked down at home, as well as the increasing popularity of tap-and-go payments, the ideal solution to making non-contact purchases. There has also been a dramatic shift over the…

Digital gift cards are now firmly favoured over physical versions. In Australia, it is clear that switching to a digital format has been really well received, as consumers no longer need to carry around print-outs and plastic cards to redeem their gift card. Digital gift cards offer convenience and immediacy to both gifter and giftee as they can be stored and accessed on their smartphone upon following a link in an e-mail. While paper versions have often made it difficult to know what the…

Store cards were being negatively impacted by store closures during the lockdowns in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly in view of the limited digital capability of this type of financial card. The reduction in foot and vehicle traffic has been driving further decline in the usage of store cards.

ALSO READ :…

Economic uncertainty has intensified throughout 2020 as COVID-19 has spread rapidly throughout Chile since the first confirmed case on 3 March, thus preventing the possibility of national economic recovery in the short term. Confinement has limited incomes as working from home is not a possibility for all industries and companies, while lockdowns have limited in-store sales, affecting mainly service industries like restaurants and beauty salons.

ALSO READ :…

In this new COVID-19 landscape, core packaging material suppliers across flexibles, rigids, paper, glass and metal, were very largely showing resilience, having pandemic working practices swiftly in place, from adapted shift patterns (to ensure distancing) to building stock for customers, to safely adjust yet assure on supply. In China, outside the Wuhan region, grocery packaging production continued through restrictions, if at lower output, also following very strict sanitation and…

Charge cards in Australia remains a relatively small category, targeting mostly commercial customers and high-net-worth individuals with significant spending power. Most of the developments in charge cards during the review period were seen in commercial charge cards as issuers invested significantly in additional services and benefits for businesses using these types of cards. In fact, commercial charge cards are no longer limited to being a simple form of payment, but are instead designed…

There were no charge cards in circulation in China at the end of the review period, and there are currently no expectations of any entering the market over the forecast period.

Euromonitor International's Charge Card Transactions in China 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…

Euromonitor International's Charge Card Transactions in Colombia 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. It offers strategic analysis of sector forecasts and trends to watch.

ALSO READ :…

In the midst of a global pandemic, contactless proximity payments were increasingly the preferred payment choice for in-store retailing. The use of physical cash was being highly discouraged due to the contact that is required, with hygiene concerns uppermost in both the minds of retailers and consumers. Many major businesses were no longer accepting cash as a form of payment or were at least actively discouraging it. There was also an uptick in sales through the e-commerce channel, both as…

With the finances of many households and small businesses under significant pressure due to the COVID-19 pandemic during 2020, the role of credit cards as a source of financial relief for hard-pressed households and entrepreneurs came to the fore. With many people experiencing a diminishment in their ability to generate income during the quarantine, many sought to lean on the easy short-term credit that credit cards represent to ease their financial burdens. Nevertheless, this use of credit…

As the pandemic continued to unfold, there was an increasing focus on contactless payments, more commonly known as tap and go. Many debit cards have dual network capabilities. Currently, cards are automatically routed to Visa and Mastercard, which incurs a higher transaction fee that is passed on to the consumer. eftpos (electronic funds transfer at point of sale) is calling for an overhaul of the regulation of disclosure for processing of these payments so that retailers have a genuine…

Strong growth was recorded in the number of debit cards in circulation in Colombia during 2020 as many people came aware of the fact that the use of contactless debit cards reduces the need for them to engage physically with cash. This is a major concern for many consumers during the COVID-19 pandemic due to widespread fears that banknotes and coins could harbour and spread the COVID-19 virus. At the same time, e-commerce experienced a significant boom over the course of 2020 for similar…

Store cards were not present in the Philippines at the end of the review period and are highly unlikely to enter the market, as retailers favour co-branded credit cards. Retailers prefer partnering with credit card issuers as they have better card infrastructures and reward programmes.

ALSO READ :…

There were no store cards in circulation in China at the end of the review period, and there are currently no expectations of any entering the market over the forecast period.

Euromonitor International's Store Card Transactions in China 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,…

Store cards registered a very negative performance during 2020, with strong declines recorded in the number of cards in circulation and transactions value and volume. Among the major issues that the category is facing is an old-fashioned image, with a lack of innovation making store cards vulnerable to competition from more modern types of payment cards. The days during which store cards were seen as an effective marketing strategy for chained retailers are now many years in the past.…

The most obvious impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on financial cards and payments in the Czech Republic was the acceleration seen in the transition away from cash and towards card payments. 2019 was the first year during which cards payment transactions value exceeded ATM transactions value in the country and after this watershed year, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the pace of the shift away from the use of cash and towards alternatives, mainly debit cards and credit cards.…