Market research on consumer products, commercial industries, demo...
Market research on consumer products, commercial industries, demographics trends and consumer lifestyles in Costa Rica. Includes comprehensive data and analysis, tables and charts, with five-year forecasts.
Following low value sales in 2021, direct selling saw a positive boost in 2022, despite rising price points and inflation. The most positive aspect has been the strong recovery of beauty and personal care sales, the largest part of the category.…
Leading player Wal-Mart continued to invest in expanding Palí and Maxi Pali in 2022, opening new locations nationwide. Between January to September, nine stores in different parts of the country were opened: seven Palí stores and two Maxi Palí. The…
Following its acquisition by Grupo Unicomer, RadioShack reopened its stores in Costa Rica in 2022. The player plans to have 18 outlets within the country by the end of 2024. This moves shows the continued importance, opportunity and growth for…
While e-commerce sales saw significant growth in 2021, in 2022, growth was boosted even further, with strong double-digit value retail growth recorded. Online sales are well developed in Costa Rica in regional terms but remain immature in global…
Retailing in Costa Rica was challenged in 2022, with rising inflation and price hikes impacting consumer buying habits. In addition, high levels of unemployment in the country continued to impact household budgets, shaping purchasing decisions. This…
Rising inflation has caused consumers to be increasingly stressed in 2023, with rising price points and ongoing economic uncertainty negatively impacting lives. This ongoing uncertainty has led to an increase in physical discomforts; often in the…
In 2023, increased socialising and the return to post-pandemic habits support the growth of several OTC categories. However, high inflation and a fluctuating exchange rate continue to create uncertainty. Inflation in Costa Rica was 8.27% in 2022, the…
At the end of 2022, there was an increase in the need to treat cold and flu symptoms. This was driven by the return of socialising following periods of social distancing, increased hand washing and the wearing of face masks throughout most of 2020…
As consumers face stress due to economic uncertainty and skin imbalances after COVID-19, many suffer from hair loss, helping category growth. While some consumers opt for dietary supplements to avoid hair loss, others turn to shampoos or other…
Omega-3 supplements have gained immense popularity in Costa Rica due to the growing awareness among people about their health benefits. Omega-3 fatty acids are considered essential nutrients that cannot be produced by the body, and are therefore…
In 2023, consumers are enjoying their newfound freedom following the loosening of COVID-19 restrictions. As such, this has led to an increased use of foodservice, with consumers eating out at restaurants, having parties, and drinking with friends.…
"Macrobioticas" or health food stores, can be found nationwide, and in some parts of the country, their presence is even more visible than that of pharmacies. Traditional healers, known as curanderos or yerberos, are often consulted for advice and…
There is a growing demand for natural and organic products in all categories regarding paediatric health. This is increasingly obvious in baby food, supplements, and skin care products. Parents are becoming more conscious of the ingredients in the…
Sports nutrition witnessed an upturn in current value sales in 2022 as consumers left COVID-19 fears behind and returned to gyms and their usual sporting activities. Moving into 2023, Many Costa Ricans focus on losing weight gained during the…
Consumers having less disposable income has impacted their purchasing habits in 2023, including their choices regarding healthcare products and vitamins. Rather than investing in preventative measures like vitamins, consumers are opting for more…
During 2022 and 2023, Ozempic injections have started to be used by consumers who do not have type 2 diabetes to lose weight. Popularised by international media, higher-income consumers who can afford them have resorted to using these injections to…
The growth of sports and indoor and outdoor activities, as well as children returning to school, has led to increased injuries compared to the previous years of COVID-19 restrictions. This, in turn, has driven the demand for first aid products in…
Current value sales are expected to increase, along with a slight increase in volume sales. While there is still economic uncertainty, as a result of rising inflation, the growth in inflation is expected to ease. That being said, consumers are…
Current value sales are expected to increase, along with an overall healthy increase in volume sales. While there is still economic uncertainty, as a result of rising inflation, the growth in inflation is expected to ease. That being said, consumers…
Current value sales are expected to increase, along with a slight increase in volume sales. While there is still economic uncertainty, as a result of rising inflation, the growth in inflation is expected to ease. That being said, consumers are…
It is expected to be an improving picture in 2023 in dairy in Costa Rica. Current value sales are expected to increase, along with a slight increase in volume sales. While there is still economic uncertainty, as a result of rising inflation, the…
While current value sales are expected to increase, volume sales are expected to register a marginal fall, as rising prices, as well as lower local production, has an impact. Increased costs for feed, fertilisers and fuel has forced some dairy…
While current value sales are expected to increase, volume sales are expected to register a decline, as continuing rising prices dampens volume sales somewhat. In particular, the largest product in terms of volume sales, that is condensed milk, drags…
The awareness and benefits of a plant-based diet continues to grow among higher income consumers and more and more shelf space is being allocated to plant-based dairy. Plant-based milk is the most popular and is entering the mainstream. However, as…
Current value sales are expected to increase, along with a healthy increase in volume sales. While there is still economic uncertainty, as a result of rising inflation, the growth in inflation is expected to ease. That being said, consumers are…
Political stability and better government finances are adding to economic freedom in Costa Rica, but corruption is on the rise. Foreign investors continue to flock to the country, but the economy is moderating and prices are falling. Discretionary…
While there is still economic uncertainty, inflationary pressure eases significantly in 2023, even falling into deflation territory for part of the year. This is seen particularly in edible oils, where prices fall after the highs experienced in 2022,…
Both constant and current values are expected to fall, as edible oil prices see a gradual fall in 2023, from the highs of the previous year, that were mainly caused by shortages caused by the war in Ukraine. Not surprisingly, volume sales are…
Meals and soups is expected to register both current value and volume growth in 2023. With society fully opened up post pandemic, and consumers leading busy lives, they appreciate the convenience of meals and coups, with ready meals in particular…
The variety of formats and brands available for pasta sauces has increased over the past few years, with newer options including Kern’s 435g jars, Naturas 430g jars, Great Value and Rao’s 680g jars; Sabemas stand-up pouches; Del Monte and Contadina…
Honey is expected to register the highest current value growth, Consumers perceive honey as a healthy option as it is a natural product which is rich in minerals, vitamins and trace elements and as such honey continues to perform well. That being…
After the strong price rises seen in 2022, consumers have welcomed the lower prices emerging in bread during 2023. The reduction in value added tax (IVA) in February 2023 and the improvement in global wheat supply has enabled retailers to reduce…
Kids' cereals have long been a popular choice among parents, as they offer a convenient and enjoyable breakfast option for their children. In 2023, innovation from established brands is driving consumer interest, such as General Mill’s Trix Bunnies…
Retail volume sales of processed fruit and vegetables enjoyed a strong increase in retail volume sales in 2023, compared to the previous year. While fresh produce offers its own benefits, frozen fruits and vegetables are a preferred choice for many…
Convenience stores continue to grow their portfolio of processed meat, seafood, and alternatives to meat in 2023. Convenience store chains like Fresh Market offer both imported and local products, with imported brands bringing innovative options to…
Tariffs on imported rice were reduced by 33% in 2023 leading to a significant rise in imports. In six months, imports of rice pellets (unpeeled rice that is processed) grew by 477%. The main importing companies are Inter-Global (Walmart's logistics…
Inflation continues to impact consumer shopping habits in 2023, with consumers seeking out low prices and private label in the staple foods category, as they look to make grocery budgets stretch further. The government has implemented aggressive…
Bottled water was fortunate not see the high unit price increases experienced by other soft drinks categories in recent years, leading to steady consumer demand and robust growth in volume terms. Both the off- and on-trade channels enjoyed growth in…
Carbonates saw a surprisingly strong sales performance over the review period, in both the off- and on-trade channels, with volume growth remaining positive for the second consecutive year. Consumers have continued to purchase carbonates as unit…
In 2023, coffee prices began to normalise in the country, with much slower inflation taking hold from July 2023. Consequently, most consumers began to return to previous consumption patterns, creating a favourable impact on retail volume growth in…
Persistent inflationary pressures in the country have affected the concentrates category, especially powder concentrates that also saw an increase in the cost of raw materials over the review period. Players largely absorbed these higher production…
As Costa Rica confronted some of the highest inflation registered in decades, the energy drinks category saw a notable increase in unit prices. Nevertheless, energy drinks has managed to see a solid performance overall. Penetration of energy drinks…
Inflation has taken its toll on hot drinks in Costa Rica, striking the coffee category especially hard in 2022. Conditions were exacerbated by the swift and unexpected appreciation of the colon vis-à-vis the dollar, which created a set of challenging…
The juice category was negatively affected by the high inflation affecting the country, with some of the highest unit price increases within soft drinks being applied to juices. In addition to persistent inflationary pressures, issues regarding the…
Other hot drinks has witnessed only slight unit price increases in recent years, which has resulted in stable volume and value growth in the category. Sales in the on-trade channel continue to recover from the pandemic, aided by the return of…
RTD coffee products saw notable unit price increases over the review period, due in large part to the steep price movements of coffee in 2022. Given the relatively small size of RTD coffee in Costa Rica, the higher unit prices associated with these…
Despite the inflationary climate in Costa Rica, the RTD tea category did not experience the same sudden price increases as other soft drinks. This benefited the category in terms of both volume and value growth as consumers did not feel as compelled…
Soft drinks faced a difficult year in 2023 as high levels of inflation were exacerbated by the appreciation of the Costa Rica Colón vis-à-vis the US dollar. Inflation led to unit price increases across a range of soft drinks categories, although…
In the post-pandemic era, Costa Ricans have resumed sports and exercise regimes, including group activities and competitions. Sports drinks has benefited from this return to normalcy as consumers use them to fuel during sports and/or refuel after…
The tea category did not experience the marked price increases seen in coffee. Instead, tea unit prices increased at a more modest pace, with the category poised to see prices fall in the coming years, in line with the consumer price index. Overall,…