Meet The Local Winners
The Malaysian FMCG market is a dynamic and highly competitive landscape. Understanding the stories behind Kantar’s local Brand Footprint ranking is essential for identifying market leaders, emerging players, and consumer preferences. Delving into the detail, our analysis highlights key trends, dominant brands, and the strategies that have contributed to their success.
Brand Footprint measures how extensively a brand is purchased across households, reflecting both penetration and frequency of purchase. As of 2023, the Malaysian FMCG market has been significantly influenced by economic challenges, including rising inflation and shifts in consumer behaviour. Despite these hurdles, around 50% of the 486 tracked brands have managed to maintain or even expand their footprint. This figure varies slightly by FMCG sector, with personal care seeing 54% of brands growing their footprints, while home care sees the lowest increase with 40% growing.
Outstanding brands that recruited the highest number of new shoppers include those in the snacking category. A notable chocolate brand innovated in hot beverages and cookies, garnering over half a million new buyers in the past two years. In the dairy segment, Yarra Farm (under Farm Fresh) has gained traction in UHT and flavoured milk, showcasing the strong equity of its parent brand and affordable pricing.
In home care, Sunlight dishwash stands out despite the sector's lower growth. The brand effectively targeted modern trade channels with attractive price promotions to entice shoppers, particularly from low- to mid-income groups who are cooking and washing dishes more at home. These promotions are supported with deeper discounts than rivals at key retailers.
In summary, Malaysia’s Brand Footprint ranking highlights the resilience and adaptability of leading brands in the FMCG market.
By focusing on product innovation, effective marketing, efficient distribution, and consumer engagement, these brands have maintained strong market positions despite economic challenges. Emerging brands also present exciting prospects for market evolution. Whatever a brand’s maturity, staying attuned to consumer preferences and adapting strategies accordingly will be key to sustaining and growing its footprint.
