Malaysia

Standard towels contribute the lion’s share in the sanitary protection category: female consumers look for length of sanitary pads instead of value-added features such as antibacterial properties, scent, cooling features and so on. Consumers tend to…

Consumer Foodservice in Malaysia saw solid growth in 2022, although current value sales remained below pre-pandemic levels. The easing of various national COVID-19 related measures, including the removal of the Government’s Movement Control Order in…

Lifestyle and fashion trends continued to militate against the development of the polishes category in 2022. Regarding furniture polish, the category has seen demand undermined by trends towards more minimalist interior design, with young homeowners…

The laundry detergents category dominates retail current value sales of laundry care, with concentrated powder detergents particularly popular, as these products are perceived as both effective and affordable. Indeed, some lower-income consumers in…

In contrast to most other home care categories, demand for home insecticides was not significantly affected by the pandemic. Home insecticides are regarded as essential by most local consumers, as the mosquito-borne disease, dengue fever, is endemic…

The development of the retail tissue category was affected by inflationary pressure in 2022. Following the global imposition of lockdowns during the COVID-19 crisis, the category faced the inflated costs of raw materials, supply issues and the…

Since local consumers spent more time at home during the COVID-19 crisis due to lockdown restrictions and home working, they needed to clean their toilets more frequently, supporting rising demand for toilet care products. COVID-19 also supported…

Home care disinfectants saw retail volume sales decline in 2022 following the peak hit at the height of the COVID-19 crisis when concerns about exposure to the SARS-CoV-2 virus encouraged consumers to pay considerable attention to sanitising…

The home care market in Malaysia saw marked price rises in 2022 as a result of global increases in the costs of raw materials, energy and transportation, as well as the weakness of the local currency. Home care products saw prices increase by more…

The COVID-19 crisis has significantly bolstered Malaysian consumers’ awareness of issues around hygiene and contamination. Feeling the need to clean surfaces such as tables, children’s high chairs, toys, door handles, desks and public toilet seats,…

Traditional methods of washing dishes continue to predominate in Malaysia, with hand dishwashing products remaining the preferred option amongst local consumers. Liquid format products are most popular amongst urban consumers, while paste is…

Having seen a surge in demand in 2020 with the onset of the COVID-19 crisis, the bleach category saw declining volume sales in 2021 and 2022. Bleach’s dynamism at the height of the pandemic was due to its strong cleaning properties. In fact, the…

Car air fresheners is the largest air care category in the Malaysian market, with these products seen as essential items by many car owners in Malaysia. Cars are the main mode of transportation for local consumers and, with the country transitioning…

Like other categories, full-service restaurants benefitted from the removal of COVID-19 related movement restrictions at the end of 2021. However, current value growth, although positive, was somewhat muted in 2022, due to the high rate of inflation,…

The remote working trend continued to have an impact on self-service cafeterias, which are largely visited by staff at nearby offices and other workplaces. While more than half the workforce were estimated to have returned to their physical offices…

The Malaysian market is seeing a notable shift towards the pants format in the retail adult incontinence category, with Millennials playing a key role in the process as they introduce such products to their parents in an effort to help them to deal…

A shift in format from taped products to disposable pants is evident in the nappies/diapers/pants category, as busy modern parents appreciate the hassle-free convenience of such products, which are easy to change on active babies. There is a growing…

Chained street stalls/kiosks saw a second year of positive growth in current value terms in 2022,as they continued to benefit from their wide-ranging locations in a standalone format. Sales were further boosted by the removal of restrictions on…

Following the easing of national COVID-19 related measures, limited-service restaurants saw a second year of healthy growth in 2022, with current value sales exceeding 2019 levels. This was in spite of ongoing supply issues, which were a key feature…

Cafés/bars saw solid growth in 2022, although current value sales remained well below pre-pandemic levels. The easing of various national COVID-19 related measures, including the removal of the Government’s Movement Control Order in October 2021,…