globalEDGE Blog - By Tag: consumer-products

The beauty and personal care industry has always been a stable and reliable industry, but recently, it has especially been on the rise, generating over $625 billion in revenue across the world in 2023. Furthermore, the industry is expected to reach close to $736 billion in global revenue by 2028.

As the rate that games are being developed at increases each day, the gaming industry shows no sign of slowing down any time soon. Although the pandemic prevented many gaming companies from developing new products, it helped the industry see a surge in many new gamers entering the market, leading up to present day.

Experts are seeing a rapid increase in the number of people playing games, with a staggering 3.38 billion people worldwide in 2023. As for the global market itself, experts predict $187.7 billion in revenue from the gaming industry this year, according to Newzoo. Large video game companies both abroad and in the United States, such as Activision Blizzard and Riot Games, are experiencing this growth first-hand. 

In a world where everything is mass-produced and readily available, luxury brands are the gatekeepers of sophistication, the arbiters of style, and the purveyors of impeccable craftsmanship. From watches to handbags, these items with expensive price points and high demand make them difficult products to obtain. These goods are typically reserved for the select few, but the luxury consumer of the new generation, who has come of age in the era of the internet, displays new concerns for the industry.

It has been over a year since Vladimir Putin authorized Russia's “special military operations” in Ukraine, eventually leading to what we now know as the 2022 Russian Invasion of Ukraine. The human cost of the conflict is undeniable. It is difficult to estimate the number of casualties related to this invasion; however, the most extreme estimates by U.S. general Mark Milley suggest that over 100,000 Ukrainian and over 100,000 Russian soldiers have been killed or injured. Milley’s estimates indicate that nearly 40,000 Ukrainian civilians have been killed in the conflict, while UN estimates put that number at closer to 7,000. As a result of this horrific conflict, there has been an overwhelming international response by both governmental and corporate institutions. 

The debate over raising the minimum wage is a contentious one, with proponents arguing that it will lift workers out of poverty and stimulate economic growth, while opponents argue that it will lead to job loss and higher prices for goods and services. As we look ahead to 2023, it is worth considering how an increase in the minimum wage might affect the labor market.

Reflecting on the past couple of months, many headlines have emphasized the hyperinflation businesses and individuals are feeling around the world; however, many analysts have questioned if these price hikes are inflation or "greedflation". Headlines across Canada specifically are calling out grocery store chains for skewing the prices of their goods. With rising inflation, the majority of companies are steadily losing profit with the exception of grocery stores in Canada that are reporting high profits.

Telecommunications companies worldwide have invested hundreds of billions into the development of 5G expecting to recoup that investment with further benefits. However, this process has taken longer than expected and has brought a dilemma on what to do next. These large companies, including Alphabet, Amazon, and Microsoft, are hoping that high-tech industries will depend on this new development that will allow them to make a profit. 5G market revenue forecasts worldwide predict that revenues will reach $58.8 billion this year and $1.69 trillion by 2030. Will these predictions hold or will have these telecommunications companies invest in a losing project?

Inflation in the context of economics is defined as a general increase in prices and a fall in the purchasing power of currency. Inflation can occur in an economy for a multitude of reasons and has been present in the United States and global economy at several points in history. The most notable historical case of inflation was The Great Inflation, a time period between 1965 and 1982 in which inflation was particularly high, resulting in large changes in policy, macroeconomic theory, and global monetary systems.  One of the main impacts of inflation is the toll it takes on consumers - when prices rise on basic consumer products such as food and gas, the money earned in wages does not stretch nearly as far to cover expenses. Let’s take a look at some of the causes and effects of the current increase in consumer prices.

Live stream selling is a newer form of e-commerce that is changing the way consumers around the globe shop. This new way of shopping allows businesses of any size to demonstrate and display their products to a much larger audience than traditional shopping. As restrictions continue because of the pandemic, many consumers are turning to live stream selling as a way to stay connected and receive a more authentic way of shopping that can be done from anywhere. Consumers have continued to look for an interactive and personalized experience throughout the pandemic. Businesses can provide this experience through live stream services such as TaoBao or Tmall, and even Instagram, Facebook, or Amazon.

The exploding cannabis industry has seen the most growth in the last year as ever before and is looking for an even better 2021 with Mexico set to legalize sometime in the coming months. Assuming this does happen and Mexico follows the lead of some U.S. states, Canada, and Uruguay, they will then become the world’s largest country to legalize Cannabis with a population of 121 million. This large input of new customers will need suppliers meaning that many Cannabis companies across the U.S. and Latin America are looking to seek substantial growth when the bill officially passes.

Direct-to-consumer (DTC) retailing is a popular strategy for brands to develop relationships with customers, utilize digital channels of selling, and skip the middle man when it comes to product sales channels.  In the times of COVID-19, the rush to e-commerce and digitalized sales channels has created an opportunity for more brands to branch out into the direct-to-consumer market.  From clothing to makeup to food subscriptions and even orthodontic wear, this strategy presents convenience to both consumers and suppliers.  Let’s take a look at the brands and methods behind direct-to-consumer retailing.

Today, our global modern society faces many crucial issues, but one that heavily affects all of us and our impact on climate change is one many seem to forget. That extra box of donuts left in the office, the pork chops you forgot you had and now they are no good, and the lunch you packed that you never ate and instead went to lunch with friends. Think of all the food you prepare, buy, pack for lunch, and now think about how much you actually eat vs how much you throw away, even if it is still perfectly good. This is the major problem of food waste that has been growing. Globally, humans throw out or lose up to USD 2.6 trillion per year. Meanwhile, the amount of food we throw out per year could feed every one of the 815 million people who suffer from hunger not once, not twice, but four times. This blog will take you through why the problem of food waste exists, the impact it is having on climate change, and what we can do as global consumers to reduce our food waste.

The world population grows at a staggering rate each decade, and it is only continuing to increase. Currently, our world population is at 7 billion, but by 2050 it is estimated that the population will reach 9 billion. In order to fit the needs of the rapidly growing population, there needs to be a major increase in food production—approximately by 70%. This raises the question of how? How can the population be fed healthy, wholesome diets without harming the environment? Different countries and regions are trying to come up with solutions to fit the needs of the growing population.

Online shopping, also known as e-commerce, is a wildly popular way for consumers to access products these days.  It’s convenient, simple, and can be done with a quick click from home. Companies like Amazon even offer free and fast shipping to their members.  But what does online shopping look like from a global standpoint? First of all, it’s a growing industry, with sales worldwide expected to more than double between 2018 and 2023. Let’s look at the e-commerce industry in the three regions around the world.

Since writing a blog, “Worldwide Popularity of Streetwear Ascending,” in December of 2017, the global streetwear market and culture has continued to rise in popularity.  Beginning as a niche market that originated mainly within skateboarding and inner-city communities, the streetwear brand and aesthetic has become a mainstream influence that reaches star athletes and world-famous actors.  With appeal centered especially in Asia and the United States, streetwear captures two of the world’s largest audiences and is now rivaling the status of luxury brands like Italy’s Gucci and France’s Louis Vuitton.

Under globalEDGE Insights by Country, a variety of indices can be found for each country.  GlobalEDGE has recently updated its indices including the Big Mac Index. The Big Mac Index includes the price of a Big Mac in different countries around the world. This index has become a global standard based on the theory of purchasing power parity, and that over time, exchange rates should move so that an identical basket of goods would have equal prices across countries.  There is a GDP-adjusted index that addresses the changes in prices between countries with higher or lower labor costs.

One of the world’s favorite beverages and a major source of caffeine for many students and employees, coffee continues to be an integral factor in society’s daily routine.  According to Business Insider, coffee is the second most sought-after commodity in the entire world, with an industry that is worth over $100 billion across the globe.  In terms of exporting alone, the industry is valued at $20 billion and continues to be on the rise—on average, 500 billion cups of coffee are consumed on Earth every year.

Microwavable TV dinner trays, notebooks, tissues, packages, and newspapers are all derived from one of the world’s most used products—paper.  According to Green America, “40 percent of the world’s industrial logging goes into making paper, and is expected to reach 50 percent in the near future.”  Furthermore, the global consumption of paper has skyrocketed 400 percent in the last four decades, and in the last 20 years alone, the use of paper products has gone up from 92 million tons to 407 million tons in 2014.  The worldwide paper industry is the fifth largest consumer of energy and is credited for four percent of the entire population’s energy use.

This is the fourth post in a five-part blog series focused on the consumer products industry.

The European consumer goods industry is in the process of a drastic transformation that could leave the industry looking unrecognizable in the next decade. A variety of forces are driving these developments, including market demographics, changing consumer preferences, new technology, and a changing regulatory landscape.

This is the third post in a five-part blog series focused on the consumer products industry.

Companies in the consumer goods sector that are trying to expand may want to start looking to Asia.  If a company successfully gains recognition in Asia it could mean a huge amount of profits, however, this is an extremely difficult market for foreign companies to penetrate.  Because this region is experiencing income and economic growth, the people are able to do more and more discretionary spending.  In Asia’s emerging economies, there is about $4 trillion in new spending and as the millennial generation gains income, there are many new first time spenders. 

This is the first post in a five-part blog series focused on the consumer products industry.

This month’s blog series will provide an overview of the consumer product industry and its future outlook, and then we will analyze the industry by region: North America, South America, Asia, and Europe. By the end of this week, these blogs will offer you a thorough summary of what’s happening in the consumer product industry and emphasize the importance of the industry in the global market.

Milk has always been an essential part of India’s culture. In the early 1900’s, India's milk production was incredibly inefficient and was struggling with its limited production of milk. Until one individual, Dr. Verghese Kurien caused a dramatic change in his home country. Dr. Verghese Kurien, known as the Milkman of India, is also a Michigan State University alumnus. Dr. Kurien states himself that Michigan State University provided him with the best education and prepared him to achieve his dream.

Large consumer good staple companies have been impacted by slower sales at the end of the first quarter of 2017. Companies in the food beverage and consumer staples segments are being hard pressed to adapt to changing tastes, while other large companies are losing market share to technologically adept disrupters.

On Thursday, United Kingdom consumer goods company Reckitt Benckiser placed a bid on Asian firm Mead Johnson for $16.7 billion. Mead Johnson is well known for producing various consumer products, including baby formula, a product with sales of $41 billion in 2014. Asia is currently the fastest-growing market for this product due to the repeal of China’s one-child policy in 2015. Couples can now have two children, after only one was permitted throughout the 36 year long rule. As a result, the birth rate last year was China’s highest in the past century, with the number of newborns rising by 7.9%, or 17.86 million.  

Traditional grocery shopping will be changing in a big way starting in 2017. Amazon has ventured away from their online domain to shake up the in-person shopping industry. On Monday, Amazon released a video showing off their newest project: Amazon Go. This store has eliminated checkouts, cash registers, and most importantly, lines. What better way to propel an industry into the future than fresh competition.

In a recent Harvard Business Review article, Michael Porter reported on how the ‘Internet of Things’ is changing everything. The aforementioned phrase has arisen to reflect the growing number of smart, connected products and highlight the new opportunities they can represent. With an estimated impact of $140 trillion, this industrial transformation is the third wave of IT-driven competition in the global economy.

By 2024, it is estimated that China will have the world’s largest economy – according to global information provider IHS Economics. Earlier this week in a blog post titled “China’s Impact on the Global Economy”, Nitish spoke of China’s rebalancing trend, which is signaled by an increase in consumer imports and a decrease in imports for investment purposes. Although rebalancing may limit other countries’ investment opportunities in China, it will spur growth in China’s economy, the Asia-Pacific regional economy, and possibly even the global economy. It is predicted that a drastic increase in consumer spending will propel China past the United States to become the world’s largest economy.

After an 18-year effort, the Russian Parliament has finally approved the country's entry into the World Trade Organization. While the other nations of the W.T.O. had agreed to Russia's entry in December, the acceptance still required a majority vote in Russia's lower house of Parliament, known as the Duma. What could have been a routine acceptance, since President Vladimir Putin's United Russia party controls the Duma, was interrupted by strong opposition by the unusually vocal Communist Party. As the ratification dragged on, Russia's economic minister Andrei Belousov warned lawmakers that the agreement reached towards the end of 2011 would expire if not ratified by the mid-July deadline. This sparked a vote by the Duma, which voted 238 to 208 in favor of joining, with one abstention.

Technology is always changing, causing us to play catch-up on a daily basis. A new trend on the horizon? Mind reading. Today, a variety of consumer products such as games and phone-apps use mind reading technology to captivate users. Last Christmas two new games used mind-reading technology to find the way into many homes. Mattel’s Midflex and Milton Industries Force Trainer both use brain-wave technology similar to the electroencephalograph, which is used to diagnose brain disorders. Many video games are also trying out this new technology. Next year a new Apple app is planned to be released using mind power. This app, Tug of Mind, will be the Apple’s first game controlled by the mind and can be partnered with a NeuroSky headset.

As of today (July 1st), Japan has significantly relaxed the visa restrictions for tourists allowing the single fastest-growing group of overseas travelers, the Chinese, to be able to travel to Japan. These new regulations will enable another 16 million households to be able to apply for a trip to Japan. This is 10 times the amount of tourist visas that were available before the new regulations. Up to now, Japan had strict regulations regarding visitors from their neighbor to the west; only allowing wealthy Chinese with high annual incomes to travel to Japan. The massive influx of Chinese travelers will hopefully result in a jump in income for many local shopping centers in Japan.

The first round of the World Cup has definitely been cut throat so far! But the action on the field has not been the only competition centered around the world cup. In our blog series last week we talked about how sponsoring the world cup and advertising during it is not only extremely expensive, but very competitive as well. Any international sporting event brings the opportunity to bring global attention to your brand, product, or even country. The 32 countries that have a team representing them in the tournament have an advantage for international exposure, but other countries aren’t out of the game yet.

Some people say Wal-Mart, others say Carrefour, but Iran is saying Hyperstar. Hyperstar, found in western Tehran, is Iran’s first large U.S.-style supermarket, financed by a businessman from the United Arab Emirates. It is becoming incredibly successful with an average of 15,000 customers a day! Shoppers consist of mainly middle-class residents who show an increasing interest in shopping and traveling.

There is no need to carry around all those books any longer! You can thank Amazon’s Kindle, an electronic device sold in the U.S. made for reading e-books and other digital media. Books and other content are downloaded through Amazon’s Whispernet, by using free internet access. Kindles have a 6 inch (diagonal) screen, it holds over 200 titles, and it only weighs 10.3 ounces. Let me know if you find a book like that!

Imagine you take a bag of flour from a store shelf. In the time it takes you to make your way through the check-out line, the cost of that flour may have increased 15%. This was the situation in Zimbabwe a few years ago, but unfortunately things have only gotten worse.

This is probably not the best economy for European luxury brands such as Versace, Louis Vuitton, Armani, Bulgari, and Gucci. A recent report discussed the impact of Japanese consumers on these major European fashion houses. After the U.S., Japan is the next biggest market for luxury goods. Fashion houses are targeting this market to increase sales. Louis Vuitton is taking steps to form an extra special relationship with their wealthy Japanese customers. However, this strategy will not solve the loss of thousands of Japanese secretaries who used to pay off the most recent handbags in credit card installments. The European fashion houses are going to have to develop a new strategy to keep their middle class customers in Japan during these rough economic times.

With ever-increasing gas prices tempting empty wallets and bank accounts all around the world, commuters have been propositioned with a solution that gets them out of their car seats and onto their saddles. No, you will (hopefully) not see horses tied-up outside of your office next time you're at work. International businesses and governments are beginning to sell their constituents a new-fangled-old-school technology that has been proving itself popular both on the streets and in the market place: the bicycle.