Consumer Products

This letter was first published in the Bimonthly Newsletter of September 2022 Dear Friends and Patrons: The global economy has been undergoing turbulent times over the last couple of years, spearheaded by the pandemic-induced slowdown in 2020 and the resulting supply chain disruptions wrought about by travel restrictions and lockdowns. While the pandemic has receded—facilitated […]

Covid-19-induced economic distress has added to existing problems such as lack of access to finance, non-tailored financial products, absence of capacity development, poor market linkage, absence of skilled labor, and lack of an export market. According to the Asian Development Bank (RRP Sector Assessment, ADB): The SMEs in Bangladesh account for 70 to 80% of […]

The Coronavirus Pandemic has taken a hefty toll on the world’s economies. Prolonged lockdowns, uncertainty about the future, and loss of lives, accumulated as ingredients for a depressed economic outlook. Consequently, this resulted in a sharp fall in global consumer spending of USD 3.3 trillion , a distressed supply chain , rising global food prices, and expansionary policies by almost all governments […]

Digital Banking has redefined the financial landscape in Bangladesh during the Covid-19 pandemic. Overnight, people needed to figure out how to use banking services electronically because, despite a pandemic, the demand for credit did not disappear. While residents in the cities rushed to adopt digital banking, rural communities were still hesitant to embrace the technology. […]

Bangladesh is one of the most prosperous countries in Asia and is expected to become the 26th largest economy in the world by 2030 . Even during the pandemic, while neighboring countries were experiencing a negative trend in their GDP growth rate, Bangladesh’s GDP per capita grew from USD 1,960 in 2020 to USD 2,130 […]

Mom-and-Pop shops, commonly known as Mudir Dokan in Bangladesh, have dominated the retail space for ages. Although super markets were predicted to put these shops out of business, that has not been the case in reality. Due to the inability of supermarkets to penetrate the middle class market, Shwapno was the first to set up […]

Supermarkets have changed the way people shop ever since their inception. As the need for convenience increases, more and more supermarkets are gaining popularity. So, it is important to look at how all this started and how that might become relevant for Bangladesh in the future. The Rise of Supermarkets in the US The Start: […]

While the consumers have been cutting back on most of their purchases during the COVID-19 outbreak, grocery retailers are winning out. The overwhelming demands for grocery shopping which started with ‘panic buying’, now appears as a logical consumption strategy to survive in the lockdown. The impact in consumer sentiment is highly noticeable in the grocery […]

The LightCastle team has been analyzing the macro and industry level picture and possible impacts wrought about by the Covid-19 crisis. Over the following days, we’ll be covering the major sectors shedding light on the possible short and long term ramifications of the global pandemic. Read all the articles in the series. Bangladesh’s Fast Moving […]

Since the discovery of plastic, rapid commercialization has made plastic products an inseparable part of our lives. In fact, about 359 million metric ton of plastics were produced globally earning USD 13.2 billion in 2018 with a CAGR of 6.5%. Meanwhile, plastic has been recognized as the 12th highest export earning sector in Bangladesh which […]

Nowadays, it is difficult to imagine an urban home without an air conditioner, fridge, and television. While these products were considered luxuries not more than 10 years ago, today they are normalized to the extent that even many rural homes can be found to have these. The consumer durables market is expansive in its definition, […]

When a new phone was launched in the market last month and you rushed to buy it, what did you do with your old one? What happened to your old computer which you replaced with a high-end laptop last year? The disposal of these discarded or obsolete electronic products or electrical materials is referred to […]

The ceramic industry has been one of the burgeoning manufacturing sectors of Bangladesh. Local demand for ceramic products continues to grow as the country experiences steady economic growth and urbanization. Not only is the industry catering to 85% of the local demand, but also serving a major portion of the export market: progressing towards being […]

Once considered a luxury, mobile phones today are essential in every household and one of the most reliable factors for fast communication. People around the world spend an average of 3.25 hours on their phones every day, with the top 20% smartphone users spending upwards of 4.5 hours in a day. Mobile phones now foster […]