South Korea

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…

Ongoing high inflation and economic difficulties have been discouraging consumer spending on luxury products and discretionary items, including jewellery. Nonetheless, despite the expectation of a slight decline in retail volume terms, in current…

Demand for jeans continues to grow in 2023, driven by the ongoing popularity of street casual. The beginning of the endemic era in South Korea and consumers’ increasing outdoor activities are also helping to boost demand for durable jeans. The…

Aftermarket sales of in-car navigation systems are set to continue to see significant declines in retail volume and current value terms in 2023, as these products are being replaced by high-tech built-in navigation systems, as well as smartphones. As…

Raw materials shortages and supply chain disruptions caused by geopolitical issues (e.g., global semiconductor chip shortage, war in Ukraine) resulted in delays in the production of digital cameras and subsequently a decline in retail volume sales in…

In 2024, ice cream in South Korea is expected to see trends similar to the previous year, with low retail volume growth and more dynamic current value growth. Consumer spending patterns reflect a growing preference for premium and healthier ice cream…

In 2023, hypermarkets in South Korea faced even slower current value growth than in the previous year, along with a continued decline in outlet numbers, encountering a combination of changing consumer habits and difficult economic conditions. A…

The idea of health and wellness varies at a category level within staple foods. For instance, high fibre products that use whole grains have a strong position in rice, baked goods, and breakfast cereals. Sales of grain-added rice, such as brown rice,…

During the pandemic, South Korean consumers became more conscious of the need for healthy hydration and the reduction of sugar consumption. This led to dynamic growth for natural bottled water and “water-like” natural RTD tea. Although decline was…

Increasing media coverage about high consumption of sugar, fat and salt raising the chances of conditions such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and even cancer, has increased demand for products low in these ingredients. Concerns about…

In 2022, health and wellness hot drinks in Korea saw a trend towards consumers looking to reduce potentially harmful ingredients, rather than adding extra benefits. This led to growing consumer demand for better for you products, such as low/no sugar…

Dairy products are already known to be nutritious, as a natural source of calcium and protein, and also probiotics for yoghurt; however, innovation has continued to increase the health and wellness options available, in line with heightened interest…

Although products low in sugar are becoming more noticeable in cooking ingredients and meals, product innovation has so far been less proactive than in other packaged food categories, and consumers’ attention has not yet been captured. However, South…

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…

Hot drinks is set to see decline in retail volume terms and a stagnant performance in retail current value terms in 2023. Tea is set to see the best performance, maintaining current value growth, while coffee is set to see stagnancy due to the…

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, homewares in South Korea maintained a current value decline, although this was mainly due to normalisation after a peak in sales during the pandemic in 2020, and sales remained far above the pre-pandemic level. Dinnerware continued to see…

After two years of strong retail volume growth in 2020 and 2021 in a pandemic-fuelled surge, sales of televisions declined in 2022, and this is set to continue in 2023, as consumer demand was brought forward and demand is now waning as replacements…

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…

Demand for home laundry appliances is growing in 2023 following a marginal dip in retail volume sales the previous year. The category’s performance is mainly attributed to a significant increase in demand for automatic dryers, while retail volume…