Market research on consumer products, commercial industries, demo...
Market research on consumer products, commercial industries, demographics trends and consumer lifestyles in South Korea.
Men’s grooming maintained solid current value growth in South Korea in 2023. However, sales of premium men’s deodorants and premium men’s hair care products continued to be negligible, primarily because demand remains within the mass segment in these…
In 2022 and 2023, independent self-service cafeterias demonstrated double-digit growth in retail value sales. The primary driver behind this success was the popularity of local Korean cuisine buffets, which provide a rich variety of options, and…
Juice has long been experiencing a decline in its popularity, with off-trade volume sales falling for over 10 years, and this set to continue in 2023. Once synonymous with a premium image, juice has lost customers to freshly squeezed juice due to its…
Instant coffee has been experiencing continuous retail current value declines, which are set to continue in 2023. The first factor contributing to this decline is the increasing trend of “home café”, or creating café-like experiences at home, whereby…
With the lifting of the mask mandate in 2023 amid the waning impact of COVID-19 in South Korea, local consumer are enjoying outdoor activities, including participating in sports, without restrictions. In particular, demand for non-sheer hosiery has…
In 2023, sports footwear continues to post healthy sales growth, as South Korea enters an endemic era where all social restrictions, including the mask mandate, have been fully lifted and consumers have returned to normal outdoor activities. As…
In 2022, the total fertility rate in South Korea reached a new low of 0.78, with the number of newborns also dropping below 250,000 for the first time. The ongoing decline of new births in the country is resulting in falling retail volume sales for…
In 2023, the government reformed its electric vehicles subsidy plan, considering factors like price, vehicle performance, warranty infrastructure and battery energy. This is set to boost the electric vehicle market, especially favouring local brands.…
Headphones recorded another year of strong retail volume growth in 2022, driven by the dominant TWS earbuds category, and although demand for wireless earphones continued to fall rapidly, wireless headbands also saw a solid positive performance. The…
While reducing food waste and recycling are well-established green habits, many consumers are apathetic, believing their actions make no difference. This creates opportunities to focus on actionable sustainable claims and campaigns, highlighting…
Overall womenswear continues to post solid growth in 2023. However, both retail volume and current value growth rates are notably slower compared to the dynamic performance by womenswear in 2022. This is likely due to the fact that consumers’ pent-up…
Dermatologicals is a saturated category in South Korea and has lost some of its growth momentum in terms of retail volume sales. A lack of new product development is one factor hampering stronger growth for some products, whilst another is increasing…
After many years of growth, in 2023 toys and games in South Korea witnessed a notable current value decline, with traditional toys and games seeing only a slight fall in sales, and video games a stronger decrease. Toys and games witnessed a decrease…
In 2023, tanghulu (sugar-coated fruits on a bamboo skewer) emerged as the most prominent snacking mega-trend in the entire food industry in South Korea. The popularity of tanghulu began with mukbang YouTubers who focused on ASMR content, creating…
Despite the overall waning impact of the pandemic in South Korea, simultaneous new outbreaks of COVID-19, influenza, and the common cold (referred to as a “tripledemic” in the country) are leading to a sharp increase in the number of consumers…
Total meals and soups packaging volumes continued to see a dramatic rise in 2023. Flexible plastic was the leading pack type in meals and soups packaging in South Korea in 2023, used across most categories, as this offers functionality, convenience,…
Contact lenses in South Korea is set to maintain solid but slower current value growth in 2024. Multifocal lenses are gaining significant popularity in the country, largely driven by the ageing population. As the demographic shift towards an older…
While instant coffee continued to decline, the desire for better-quality coffee is helping to continue to drive sales of fresh ground coffee pods, which are therefore becoming an increasing area of focus for coffee companies. Even after coffee pods…
In 2023, retail e-commerce maintained double-digit current value growth in South Korea. In recent times, the retail landscape in the country witnessed a remarkable surge in online shopping activities, driving a substantial increase in online…
Home products specialists maintained its decline in outlet numbers in South Korea in 2023, but returned to low growth in current value terms. Homewares and home furnishings stores saw the slowest value growth rate in 2023. This channel faced…