Euromonitor Podcasts

n general, average income is the single most important factor that determines consumer preferences to spend on transport or to buy private vehicles. However, lower income cities such as Kuala Lumpur, Vilnius and Athens are among the top ten cities with the highest ratio of passenger car ownership in the world. In these cities, passenger cars are a necessity due to inadequate transportation infastr...

Growth figures in the first quarter in the eurozone are disappointing but countries that have enacted reforms are performing better. Spain for instance enacted financial and employment reforms and growth turned positive in the third quarter of 2013. Ireland enacted reforms as well and is now one of the top performers in the eurozone with consumer confidence growing and unemployment is on a downwar...

China holds the biggest social media networks by user numbers outside of Facebook, and as a result these networks have a large influence on many other industries including travel, ecommerce and banking. In fact, many retailers own their own social networks which Chinese consumers access to find discounts and deals. This blur between social media and ecommerce is more apparent in China than in the...

Burger King recently announced they will purchase Tim Hortons for eleven billion dollars and move its headquarters to Canada. The new company will own about 23.5 billion in terms of annual revenue, putting them behind McDonald’s and Yum! Brands as the third largest consumer foodservice operator in the world. This merger gives Tim Hortons an opportunity to aggressively expand in new markets and giv...

US-based burger chain Shake Shack is reportedly seeking an IPO, which would make it one of the first ‘better burger’ chains behind Five Guys to pursue a national expansion. Typically, many major restaurant trends have a well-defined boom and bust lifecycle, but the better burgers trend is extending far beyond the normal lifestyle-driven trend. Although Shake Shack is a regional chain with a long r...

The recent deal between Kraft and Green Mountain gives liscensing rights to distribute Kraft's brand of products in pod form for use in the Keurig machine. Kraft's brands are a large gain for Green Mountain, who's main strategy is to obtain these agreements from all large coffee players. Kraft's Maxwell House brand is the second largest coffee brand in the US, and given the suc...

Scotts Miracle-Gro’s UK subsidiary, The Scott’s Company, recently purchased the Solus brands which includes Yeoman hand tools.  Although Scotts is the leading garden care company in the world, it lacks a competitive hand tools brand. Yeoman will fill a gap in Scotts brand portfolio in the UK, and if this move is successful, Scotts can adapt the strategy worldwide. Lots of brands claim to be number...

Coca-Cola’s recent 16.7% acquisition of Monster Energy is a win for Monster as the company’s innovations can shine on the internationa stage, but Coca Cola benefits from the deal as well. With the acquisition, Coke gains access to Monster’s new product innovations, which are responsible for reformulating the energy drinks market in recent years. Having this inside track into product innovations ca...

Phillips and Braun are on the forefront of toothbrush technology, with Braun introducing products such as the Oral-B Pro 6000 SmartSeries, which monitors brushing times and habits and sends information to a user’s smartphone via Bluetooth. Innovations in the toothpaste market include Colgate’s sugar acid neutralizing toothpaste and Unilever’s Regenerate, which claims to rebuild lost enamel. Preven...

Consumers are slowly adopting pre-recession spending habits in all aspects of their lives, and vacations and holidays are no different. In 2014, consumers aren’t restricting themselves to “staycations”, although they remain budget-conscious when travelling.  Many consumers are taking camping holidays, family trips and staying with friends in order to leave their dwellings but stay within their bud...

El crecimiento de la práctica deportiva en Chile, acompañada de una fuerte actividad promocional de las principales marcas ha hecho que las ventas de ropa y calzado deportivos hayan aumentado aproximadamente 5% al año en términos de valor en los últimos 5 años según datos de la empresa de investigación de mercado, Euromonitor International. Hoy el país es uno de los de mayor consumo per cápita de...

Ichitan Group PCL, a relatively new player in the soft drinks market in Thailand, was recently listed on the Thai stock exchange which not only cements the company's future in the industry but also adds even more competition to the dynamic soft drinks market in the country. Ichitan's success is driven by its low-priced ready-to-drink tea which is the only RTD tea product in the country l...

Open-loop pre-paid cards, which are network branded payment cards that do not have a limited pre-defined acceptance network, are the fastest growing card type in the world. These cards have proved their ability to replace cash and electronic transfer channels in several instances including government benefits and traveller’s cheques. Open-loop pre-paid cards can also help the unbanked and financia...

The tragedies of the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 and the crash of Flight 17 are having a severe impact on Malaysia Airlines. Investor confidence is low, shares are plummeting and many are wondering why the airline chose a flight pattern over a conflict zone. With the airline already performing at subpar levels, the next step may be filing for bankruptcy. Lots of brands claim to b...

Wearable devices, such as the Nike Fuel Band and the Samsung Galaxy Gear are manufacturer driven products that do not yet address any major functions better than a smartphone. So far, only fitness tracking devices are driving sales as they serve a practical and motivational purpose. Other devices such as the Galaxy Gear suffer from poor aesthetics and bulky design. Until Apple releases its highly...

China is a promising market for the consumer health industry, with consumer expenditure on health goods and medical services expected to grow by 56 percent between 2013 and 2018. Vitamins and dietary supplements, especially fish oils and omega fatty acids are among the strongest prospects for the country. The average adult in China consumes only one-quarter of the recommended daily intake of DHA a...

Michael Kors is investing heavily in marketing its new diffusion line and as a result, consumers are associating the company as a lifestyle brand in line with Coach and Tori Birch. The company is also using social media as a way to use consumers to market its brands. It has a blog site called MK Timeless where consumers can upload pictures of their Michael Kors watches and a campaign called Watch...

Many countries are struggling with managing their water supplies due to various reasons including lack of rainfall, limited space for reservoirs and lack of natural water resources. Many appliance manufacturers are helping to conserve water by introducing water efficient appliances, mainly dishwashers and washing machines. The governments of many countries now rate the water efficiency of applianc...

Private label manufacturers need to establish various strategies when targeting different areas of the world. For example, in areas such as Western Europe and North America where private label is well established, manufacturers can add products at different price points to attract consumers. In areas where private label is less established, companies can export their private label brands or expand...

Tracking a country’s consumer spending on education can shed light on the labor force and productivity and gives insight on the spending patterns and priorities of consumers in a country, both of which are important factors to consider for businesses planning expansion. A key trend in consumer education is that when the lowest 10 percent of the population of a country spends significantly on educa...

国内ビール市場はビール人口減少、消費者の健康志向により、年々減少傾向にあります。メーカーはプレミアムビール市場への集中、特定の小売業者への限定製品の販売など、数々の取り組みを通して減少を最小限に抑え、成長につなげていく努力をしています。また規模は小さいですが、クラフトビールの発展は減少傾向にあるビール市場に、新たな刺激を与えています。 Lots of brands claim to be number one… but can they prove it? A...

Beer in Japan has been on a steady decline in volume terms for the past ten years, and beer manufacturers in the country are working against this trend with several strategies. Focusing on the premium beer segment is one successful strategy as Japanese consumers are choosing quality over quantity . Beer manufacturers are also using convenience stores such as 7-Eleven and Lawson as test markets for...

A study by the University of Cambridge in April 2014 has put fat as an ingredient back in the media spotlight. The study shows that total saturated fat has no association with heart disease. While the scientific community has criticized the study, many consumers are now focusing on limiting sugar and increasing protein in their diet rather than focusing on fat consumption. This trend is leading to...

Business taxes are a key factor for companies when planning their future investment strategies.  When business taxes are low, the environment encourages foreign direct investments, creates jobs and encourages high profit margins for companies. Since the global financial crisis, many developed countries lowered their business taxes in order to relieve burdens placed on businesses by unemployment ra...

Indonesia  is an often-targeted country for companies attempting to enter a new market in Asia-Pacific due to its massive population, rising purchasing power and fast growing middle class. The soft drinks market in the country is on the rise, with categories such as juices, ready-to-drink coffee and ready-to-drink tea growing in consumption and awareness. For companies attempting to break into Ind...