Table of Contents
Executive Summary
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- The market
- The market slows down in 2020 but will pick up again in the future
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- Figure 1: Retail market value and volume of yogurt (exclude lactobacillus drinks), china, 2015-2020
- Figure 2: Total China retail sales and forecast of yogurt, 2015-25
- Figure 3: Total China retail volumes and forecast of yogurt, 2015-25
- Impact of COVID-19 on yogurt
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- Figure 4: Short, medium and long term impact of COVID-19 on yogurt, November 2020
- Ambient yogurt still leads growth while chilled yogurt is under pressure
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- Figure 5: China retail sales value and forecast of ambient yogurt, 2015-25
- Figure 6: China retail sales value and forecast of chilled yogurt, 2015-2025
- Companies and brands
- Yili and Mengniu market share rises to 66.5% and Junlebao enters the top three
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- Figure 7: Key players’ share of yogurt market, China, 2018-2019
- Building competitiveness in both upstream and downstream
- Innovations focus on flavour & texture and precise functions
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- Figure 8: Key changes in product claims* in new yogurt launches, China, 2016-2020 (to Oct)
- The consumer
- Ambient yogurt prioritised over chilled yogurt thanks to high accessibility
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- Figure 9: Consumption change, May 2020
- Overall top choices and regional brands’ advantages unchanged
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- Figure 10: Brands consumed in the last six months, by city, May 2020
- Higher willingness to pay more for chilled yogurt, especially among parents
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- Figure 11: Typical spending on a single-serve yogurt, May 2020
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- Figure 12: Spending habits, by children in household, May 2020
- Offline is still leading choice but gourmet stores are worth noting
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- Figure 13: Purchasing channel of yogurt, May 2020
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- Figure 14: Purchase channel, by typical spend on a single-serve yogurt, May 2020
- Indulgent impression of spoonable yogurt needs to be bolstered
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- Figure 15: Yogurt preference, by consumption occasion, May 2020
- Going beyond digestive health to gut health can help yogurt establish credibility in immunity-related claims
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- Figure 16: Interests in functional benefits, May 2020
- What we think
Issues and Insights
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- Spoonable yogurt needs all-round indulgent improvements
- The facts
- The implications
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- Figure 17: Examples of dessert flavoured yogurts, US and China, 2020
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- Figure 18: Examples of creative yogurt packaging, China, 2020
- Go beyond higher protein to seize opportunities among fitness consumers
- The facts
- The implications
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- Figure 19: Examples of introductions about different types of protein for fitness consumers, China 2020
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- Figure 20: Examples of fitness yogurt with both whey and casein claims, China and Spain, 2020
- Leverage freeze-drying technology to expand snack occasions
- The facts
- The implications
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- Figure 21: Examples of freeze-dried yogurt cubes, China 2019-2020
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- Figure 22: Yili’s sub-brand yixiaosheng launched freeze-dried crayfish flavour yogurt cubes, china, 2020
The Market – What You Need to Know
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- Yogurt market slows down in 2020 but will regain momentum in 2021
- Ambient yogurt still a growth engine
- Chilled yogurt struggles to expand territory in last two years
- Increasing awareness of immunity means long-term demand will sustain
Market Size and Forecast
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- Sales growth slowed down in 2020 but still remarkable
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- Figure 23: Retail market value and volume of yogurt (exclude lactobacillus drinks), China, 2015-2020
- Yogurt will regain growth momentum in 2021
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- Figure 24: China retail sales value and forecast of yogurt, 2015-25
- Figure 25: China retail sales volume and forecast of yogurt, 2015-25
Market Factors
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- Spending shifts to essentials as COVID-19 hits consumer confidence
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- Figure 26: Confidence in future financial outlook, Dec 2019-Nov 2020
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- Figure 27: Change in total retail sales of consumer goods, China 2019-Sept 2020
- Attention to immunity management fuels demand for dairy products
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- Figure 28: Mengniu Champion yogurt promoting immunity-enhancing feature, China 2020
- E-commerce continues to unlock sales potential with live commerce
Key Players – What You Need to Know
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- National players strengthen market leadership
- Key innovation highlights
Market Share
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- Further market consolidation among top two leaders
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- Figure 29: Key players’ share of yogurt market in terms of retail sales value, China, 2018-2019
- Junlebao Dairy ascends to No. 3 position
- Newcomers battle it out in chilled yogurt
Competitive Strategies
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- Strengthen control of upstream
- Elevate channel synergies
- Strategic cooperation with leading channel players
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- Figure 30: Yili JoyDay yogurt workshop and product concept
- Figure 31: Bright yogurt subscription service on ele.me
- Channel customized products
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- Figure 32: Examples of channel exclusive yogurt products, China 2019-2020
Who’s Innovating?
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- Flavour and texture innovation
- Make it more chunky and chewy
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- Figure 33: Share of new product launches in yogurt, by texture, China, 2017-2020 (to Oct)
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- Figure 34: Examples of new chunky ingredients in yogurt, China, 2020
- Novel mixed flavours
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- Figure 35: Examples of novel mixed flavours in yogurt, China 2020
- Oriental nourishing flavours vs Western dessert flavours
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- Figure 36: Examples of oriental nourishing flavour yogurt, China 2020
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- Figure 37: Examples of Western dessert flavoured yogurt, China 2020
- Health-related and functional innovation
- Gut health puts probiotics and fibre under the spotlight
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- Figure 38: Key changes in product claims* in new yogurt launches, China, 2016-2020 (to Oct)
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- Figure 39: Examples of new yogurt products catering to gut health, China and Japan, 2019-2020
- Protein content continues to increase
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- Figure 40: Average protein per 100 grams of yogurt in new product launches, 2016-2020 (to Oct)
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- Figure 41: Example of high protein fitness yogurt, US, 2020
- Niche functional claims emerge
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- Figure 42: Examples of functional benefits in yogurt, China 2020
- Plant-based yogurt finally makes its way to China
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- Figure 43: Plant-based yogurt from Nongfu Spring, China 2020
The Consumer – What You Need to Know
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- RMB6-9 is the most acceptable price range for single-serve yogurt
- Offline remains the leading purchasing channel
- Spoonable yogurt does not necessarily equal indulgence
- General immunity-related function is most wanted but specific functions get a boost too
Consumption Change
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- Ambient yogurt still leads consumption uptake
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- Figure 44: Consumption change, May 2020
- Switching to ambient is more evident during the outbreak
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- Figure 45: % of consumers drink more, by type of yogurt consumed less, May 2020
- Families with children are still key target group
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- Figure 46: Consumption change on ambient yogurt, by children in households, May 2020
Brand Choice
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- Top five choices have not changed since 2017
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- Figure 47: Brands consumed in the last six months, May 2020
- Regional differences still prevail
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- Figure 48: Brands consumed in the last six months, by city, May 2020
- New entrants stand out with an image of beauty-boosting and weight-control functions
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- Figure 49: Brands consumed in the last 6 months, by interest in functional benefits, May 2020
Spending Habits
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- Half of consumers are prepared to pay between RMB6-9 on a single-serve yogurt
- Consumers are prepared to pay more for chilled yogurt but not for spoonable yogurt
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- Figure 50: Typical spending on a single-serve yogurt, May 2020
- Parents are prepared to pay more for chilled yogurt
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- Figure 51: Typical spending on a single-serve yogurt, by family status, May 2020
Purchasing Channel
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- Gourmet stores are key to targeting premium yogurt buyers
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- Figure 52: Purchasing channel of yogurt, May 2020
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- Figure 53: Purchasing channel, by family status, May 2020
- Figure 54: Purchase channel, by typical spend on a single-serve yogurt, May 2020
- Yogurt choices in gourmet stores may attract young males with fitness goals
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- Figure 55: Purchasing channel – gourmet stores, by gender and age, May 2020
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- Figure 56: Purchasing channel, by males with vs without an interest in yogurt with maintaining muscle claims, May 2020
Consumption Habits
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- Yogurt is still largely considered a source of dairy for its nutritional value
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- Figure 57: Consumption habits of yogurt, May 2020
- Spoonable yogurt still needs to enhance its association with indulgence
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- Figure 58: Yogurt preference, by consumption occasion, May 2020
- Parents pay more attention to nutrition and singles are more flavour driven
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- Figure 59: Consumption habits – by family status, May 2020
Interest in Functional Benefits
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- General immunity boosting is most wanted functional benefit after COVID-19
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- Figure 60: Interests in functional benefits, May 2020
- Consumers under 30 expect appearance-related functions while over-30s care more about physical health
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- Figure 61: Interest in functional benefits, by age, May 2020
- High household income consumers focus more on specific functional yogurt
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- Figure 62: Interest in functional benefits, by household income, May 2020
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- Figure 63: Gap of interest in functional benefits, by consumer income and classification, May 2020
Meet the Mintropolitans
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- More willing to pay RMB10-15 on a single-serve yogurt for indulgence
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- Figure 64: Spending habits, by consumer classification, May 2020
- Invest in gourmet stores and fresh grocery e-commerce
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- Figure 65: Purchasing channel, by consumer classification, May 2020
- Nutrition as well as appearance
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- Figure 66: Interests in functional benefits, by consumer classification, May 2020
Appendix – Market Size and Forecast
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- Figure 67: China retail sales value and forecast of yogurt, 2015-25
- Figure 68: China retail sales volume and forecast of yogurt, 2015-25
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Appendix – Market Segmentation
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- Figure 69: China retail sales and forecast of ambient yogurt, 2015-25
- Figure 70: Total China retail sales and forecast of chilled yogurt, 2015-25
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Appendix – Methodology and Abbreviations
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- Methodology
- Abbreviations
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