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.
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,…
Air care was the weakest performer in terms of volume growth in 2023. While air care registered both high current and constant value growth, volume growth was marginal. The increased prices dampened volume demand and consumers prioritised essential…
Value sales for bleach continued to slow, and consumers increasingly favoured less toxic home care products. Bleach has been cast in a negative light in terms of environmental and also health impacts. As such, consumers are looking to reduce bleach…
Dishwashing registered healthy volume growth in 2023, as price increases eased. Hand dishwashing continued to account for most value sales and also registered the highest value and volume growth. As such, value sales for automatic dishwashing…
While there was still economic uncertainty, inflationary pressure eased significantly in 2023, even falling into deflation territory for part of the year. With the improved economic situation, home care registered healthy current value and modest…
There were significant price rises for home-insecticides in 2023, and in particular for spray/aerosols, as supply chain disruptions still lingered and this resulted in high current and constant value growth. However, despite significant price…