The economic impact of COVID-19 has resulted in severe income drops for many Indian consumers, with a dramatic decline in discretionary spending. The situation has led to downtrading across the board. Moreover, until early September on-trade establishments were prohibited from selling alcoholic drinks, and this, together with a lack of social occasions and meet-ups, contributed to a decline in bigger pack sizes in alcoholic beverages. Several states have increased the tax on alcohol by up to…

At the end of the review period, there were still no store cards available in the Czech Republic. It remains unlikely that such financial cards will become widely available in the country during the forecast period.

Euromonitor International's Store Card Transactions in Czech Republic report establishes the size and structure of the market for ATMs cards, smart cards, credit cards, debit cards, charge cards, pre-paid cards and store cards. It looks at key players in the market…

The impact on COVID-19 on packaging trends in France was most visible in terms of reduced demand for smaller and on-the-go formats across the board and a shift towards larger packs in line with increased at-home consumption and shared family values packs. As horeca establishments shut down, 2020 has seen a drop in sales of on-trade alcoholic drinks packaging. However, unlike in many other countries, there was no pick-up in off-trade sales, which have also declined in 2020. One reason for…

The COVID-19 pandemic had a substantial impact on Hungary’s financial cards and payments industry during 2020. Perhaps the most noticeable and important changes seen in consumer behaviour during the year was the shift away from the use of cash and towards card payments. In the proximity environment, this was due mainly to widespread fears that banknotes and coins could transmit the COVID-19 virus, presenting a risk to public health. The shift towards e-commerce which flowed from the lockdown…

There are currently no store cards in circulation in Hungary. Magyar Cetelem Bank Zrt stopped offering store cards in 2008 and since then no retailers have signalled any intention to relaunch such services. Instead, retailers are collaborating with banks to launch co-branded credit cards and then tie these credit products to their respective loyalty schemes, thus enabling them to offer very favourable terms and conditions while still strengthening their relationships with their customers. It…

Euromonitor International's Store Card Transactions in India report establishes the size and structure of the market for ATMs cards, smart cards, credit cards, debit cards, charge cards, pre-paid cards and store cards. It looks at key players in the market (issuers and operators), number of cards in circulation, numbers transactions and value of transactions. It offers strategic analysis of sector forecasts and trends to watch.

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The economic fallout of COVID-19 has led to widespread slashed salaries, job loss and falling incomes in Indonesia, and thus reduced disposable incomes. Spending has become more mindful and rational as consumers prioritise products deemed to be necessities and cut back on luxuries, leading to declining sales in fragrances and colour cosmetics packaging, with growth rises in skin car packaging and bath and shower packaging. Affordability has become a prime factor in purchasing decisions, and…

There were no store cards operating in Indonesia at the end of the review period, and there are currently no expectations of any such financial cards entering the market over the forecast period. It is expected that Indonesians will prefer to use regular financial cards such as credit or debit cards, or even financial institutions that offer credit digitally, such as Kredivo. Due to the limitations of store cards it seems unlikely that there would be any significant demand for these…

Increased rational spending amid a weakened economy and falling incomes due to COVID-19 has seen sales fall in several areas of packaging, with other areas benefiting from consumers’ realigned purchasing priorities and value-seeking habits. In the case of home care packaging, there has been no indication of a change in preferences with regard to pack sizes. However, the hastened shift towards purchases through e-commerce channels, along with increased time spent at home, has led to larger…

Store cards have been non-existent in the Netherlands since 2015. Since then, no new players have entered the category and there have been no new attempts to introduce store cards by any of the category’s former players. There is little sign that any meaningful change to this situation will be seen during the forecast period, especially as Dutch consumers now have a wide range of other financial cards to choose from. These include debit cards and credit cards, which generally offer more…

Dietary supplement is expected to register healthy double-digit value growth in 2020, as consumers look after their health, in the light of the threat of COVID-19. However, the healthy growth is not expected to be across all dietary supplements and certain products that do not specially address overall health and immunity, such as glucosamine, eye health supplements and ginseng, are expected to lower value growth than in 2019.

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Overall, paediatric consumers health is not expected to be impacted by COVID-19. While the product area is expected is register healthy double-digit value growth, it is on par with 2019 current value growth. Paediatric consumer health is sizeable and has registered healthy value growth over the whole review period. Though COVID-19 is expected to have little overall effect, certain products are expected to stand out in terms of value growth. Paediatric dietary supplements and vitamins are…

Sales in packaging in Singapore have been severely shaken by the lockdown, social restriction regulations and continued reduced social interaction as consumers remain reluctant to go out and meet in groups as frequently as in pre-pandemic times. Larger pack sizes in packaged food and beverages have benefited, especially those in convenient and lightweight PET and metal formats, as consumers shopped more online and food service shifted towards takeaways. The surge in home deliveries across…

Vitamins are expected to register healthy double-digit value growth in 2020, and value growth is expected to be markedly higher than in 2019. The reason for the improved value growth is due to concerns caused by COVID-19. Consumers have turned to vitamins to boost their immune system in order to better protect themselves from infection. As a result, vitamin C is expected to be the bestselling vitamin product in 2020.

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Charge cards is a niche within South African financial cards and payments dominated by personal charge cards, and is traditionally driven by demand from affluent status-focused consumers who enjoy the benefits and kudos attached to owning this type of financial card. Limited visibility and accessibility therefore, restricts this category’s potential for stronger uptake.

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Prior to the emergence of the pandemic, South Africa was already experiencing a rise in the cost of living, which was not being matched by salary increases, resulting in mid-income consumers struggling to afford the lifestyles to which they had become accustomed, which resulted in greater demand for consumer credit to fund purchases and supporting the further growth in personal credit card utilisation. An increasing number of South Africans had therefore become more focused on the present…

The emergence of COVID-19 in South Africa and the subsequent lockdown measures resulted in rising unemployment (particularly for those involved in the tourism and foodservice industries), and decreasing disposable incomes. Weak consumer sentiment therefore restricted discretionary spending, resulting in declines for the number of transactions made using debit cards and the transaction value in 2020, driven by the dominant personal debit cards. Unlike 2019, which had seen a rise in the…

The emergence of the pandemic and subsequent lockdown measures introduced by the government in an attempt to control the spread of the virus had a significant impact on transaction value across consumer payment transactions in 2020, due to price sensitivity amongst many South Africans as result of rising unemployment and decreasing disposable incomes. This led to a greater prioritising of expenditure amongst consumers regarding essential goods and services including groceries and medicine.…

Despite experiencing declines in the number of transactions made and transaction value in 2020, the number of pre-paid cards continued to grow, driven by the dominant open loop pre-paid cards. The latter tends to be comprised of unbanked consumers with government benefit cards holding the largest volume share of open loop pre-paid cards, in addition to South Africans with poor credit which does not allow them to own other types of financial cards, credit-averse consumers, and for those who…

Demand for store cards in South Africa was already stagnating towards the end of the review period as retailers, including apparel and footwear specialist retailers and departments stores, grew increasingly concerned about issuing cards due to the increasing number of South Africans getting into high amounts of debt that they would be unable to pay off in full. Some consumers perceive store cards as another method of gaining credit which allows them to purchase goods which they may not be…