Table of Contents
Executive Summary
-
- The market
- Live streaming marketing helps bring positive effects
- Internet creates favourable conditions for development
- Cross-category cooperation revitalizes festive foods market
- Snacking vendors make a feature of their ‘bundling strategy’
- Flavour innovation is still active
- The consumer
- Traditional festive foods stay mainstream in the gifting market
-
- Figure 1: Foods purchased or received during festivals, January 2020
- Foodservice channels preference sees generation differences
-
- Figure 2: Purchasing channels, by generation, January 2020
- Foods with health halo see an increase in total expenditure
-
- Figure 3: Spending trends, January 2020
- Young consumers seek self-indulgence, while older ones value brand and healthy features
-
- Figure 4: Features of interest, by age group, January 2020
- Penetration of gifting for Western festivals needs to improve
-
- Figure 5: Foods purchased for gifting during Western festivals, January 2020
- Alcoholic drinks can be competitive in the gifting market
-
- Figure 6: Attitude towards giving alcoholic drinks or tobacco as gifts, January 2020
- What we think
Issues and Insights
-
- First priority comes to please self
- The facts
- The implications
- Chinese heritage trend (国潮) puts old-established brands right under the spotlight
- The facts
- The implications
- Chinese spirits can provide options for gifting on Western festivals
- The facts
- The implications
The Market – What You Need to Know
-
- Internet plays important role in revitalizing time-honoured brands
- Brands leverage the trend for cross-category cooperation
- Tea shops and snacking brands compete with different strategies
Market Drivers
-
- Live streaming creates a new form of marketing during festivals
-
- Figure 7: ‘Chief Nic’ on Kuaishou app, China, 2019
- Internet empowers old-established brands to enhance business value
- Cross-category cooperation injects new vigour to festive foods
- Rising disposable income per capita sets the foundation for spending during festivals
Trends in the Market
-
- Old-established brands rejuvenated thanks to the Chinese heritage trend (国潮)
- Online snack vendors’ ‘mix-and-match’ strategy
-
- Figure 8: Assorted gifting packs, BESTORE, China, 2019
- Ingredients innovation keeps traditional festive foods dynamic
- Festive foods from tea shops differentiate themselves with distinctive packaging design
-
- Figure 9: Festive foods packaging from tea shops, China, 2019
Who’s Innovating?
-
- BE&CHEERY (百草味) expands to daily social and gifting occasions
-
- Figure 10: Products from the “Yi Ge Li You” (一个理由) range, Be&Cheery, China, 2019
- BESTORE (良品铺子) targets premium gifting market
-
- Figure 11: “Si Hai Qiu Huang” (四海求凰), BESTORE, China, 2020
- Brands incorporate the “fun & play” concept
-
- Figure 12: Products incorporating ‘fun & play’ concept
The Consumer – What You Need to Know
-
- Traditional festive foods keep dominant in gifting but not for self-consumption
- Young females look to innovative features; older males are interested in brand and “minus” claims
- Increase gifting on Western festivals
Festive Foods Purchased/Received
-
- Traditional festive foods are still mainstream in gifting market…
-
- Figure 13: Foods purchased or received as gifts during festivals, January 2020
-
- Figure 14: Foods purchased as gifts during festivals, by age group, January 2020
- …but gradually lose popularity for self-consumption
-
- Figure 15: Foods purchased for self-consumption during festivals, January 2020
-
- Figure 16: Foods purchased for self-consumption during festivals, by age group, January 2020
- Ways to enhance penetration of alcoholic drinks
-
- Figure 17: Zodiac spirit for Year of the Pig, Swellfun, China, 2019
Purchased from Foodservice Channels
-
- Bakery houses still mainstream foodservice channel
-
- Figure 18: Purchasing channels, January 2020
- Tea shops and dessert shops are trendy among post-90s
-
- Figure 19: “HEY PEACE”, HEYTEA×Peace Bird, China, 2019
- Figure 20: Purchasing channels – tea shops and ice cream shops/dessert shops, by generation, January 2020
- Post-60s’ devotion to restaurants
-
- Figure 21: Purchasing channels – restaurants, by generation, January 2020
- Females are the major target for premium hotels
Spending Trends
-
- Spending trends reveal healthier consumer lifestyles
-
- Figure 22: Spending trends, January 2020
- 18-24 spend more on baked foods
-
- Figure 23: Respondents who spend more on baked foods, by gender & age, January 2020
- Some types need to seek ways to break boundaries
-
- Figure 24: “Whiskey” drink that is free from alcohol, Xiao Guan Cha, China, 2019
Features of Interest
-
- Craving for texture-enhanced innovations
-
- Figure 25: Features of interest, January 2020
- Young females show interests in innovative shapes
-
- Figure 26: Interest in innovative shapes of mooncakes, by age group (female only), January 2020
- Males aged 50-59 stick to brand reputation and healthy features
-
- Figure 27: Features of interest, by age group (male only), January 2020
Foods Purchased for Western Festivals
-
- Halloween is the least popular Western festival for gifting
-
- Figure 28: Foods purchased for gifting during Western festivals, January 2020
- Healthy gifting foods are popular for giving to parents
-
- Figure 29: New products for senior people, Want Want, China, 2019
- Expand gifting occasions for chocolate and confectionery
-
- Figure 30: Halloween limited-edition gift boxes, Godiva, China, 2019
Attitudes towards Giving Alcoholic Drinks or Tobacco/Cigars as Festival Gifts
-
- Older consumers are open to alcoholic drinks as gifts
-
- Figure 31: Attitude towards giving alcoholic drinks as festival gifts, by age group, January 2020
- Giving Chinese spirits is seen as a cultural ritual in Yantai
-
- Figure 32: Attitude towards giving Chinese spirits as festival gifts, by city, January 2020
- Foreign brand alcoholic drinks/tobacco is popular among foreign enterprises workers
-
- Figure 33: Attitude towards giving foreign brand alcoholic drinks/tobaccos, by company type, January 2020
- Social media plays a role in boosting popularity of Western spirits
Meet the Mintropolitans
-
- Festive Foods - China - April 2018Mintropolitans express more interest in purchasing festive foods from coffee shops and premium hotels
-
- Figure 34: Purchasing channels - coffee shops and premium hotels, by consumer classification, January 2020
- MinTs are westernized in gifting but still stick more to family tradition
-
- Figure 35: Attitudes towards giving alcoholic drinks/tobaccos as gifts, by consumer classification, January 2020
Appendix – Methodology and Abbreviations
-
- Methodology
- Abbreviations
Back to top