Table of Contents
Executive Summary
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- The market
- Sports and energy drink market intensifies in China
- Companies and brands
- Monster enters China; Red Bull faces uncertainty
- ‘No Additives/Preservatives’ claim has increased the most
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- Figure 2: Top 10 claims on sports drinks*, China 2014-16
- Room to diversify flavour
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- Figure 3: Top 10 flavours of sports drinks, China 2014-16
- The consumer
- Gaining energy is the most popular need
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- Figure 4: Health benefits in drinks that consumers are interested in buying, January 2017
- Sports drinks enjoy the heaviest consumption
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- Figure 5: Consumption frequency of different functional drinks, January 2017
- Mizone outperforms Gatorade as a sports drink
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- Figure 6: Correspondence Analysis – Perception of different types of drinks in the market, January 2016
- Looking for energy drinks designed for women
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- Figure 7: Consumers’ usage and attitudes towards functional drinks, January 2017
- Concern about caffeine but not taurine
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- Figure 8: Consumers' attitudes towards the functional ingredients, January 2017.
- Consumers want low-calorie energy drinks without artificial sweeteners
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- Figure 9: Energy drink innovations consumers are interested in, January 2017
- Mintropolitans want cleaner functional drinks
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- Figure 10: Highlighted consumers’ usage and attitudes towards energy drinks, January 2017
- What we think
Issues and Insights
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- Energy drinks for different levels
- The facts
- The implications
- Sophisticated fermented drinks
- The facts
- The implications
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- Figure 11: Kombucha product example, China, Taiwan, and US, 2016-17
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- Figure 12: Product example of probiotic drinks from Meiji, Japan, 2015-16
- Figure 13: Product example of Farmhouse Culture chips, US 2016
- Use plant-based ingredient to clean up the category
- The facts
- The implications
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- Figure 14: Berri Pro’s fitness beverage, US 2016
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- Figure 15: Mr. Mak’s original dynasty ginbao, US 2016
The Market – What You Need to Know
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- Competition in the sports and energy drink market intensifies
- Global beverage brands invest in probiotic drinks
- Consumers’ growing demands and higher standards
Opportunities and Challenges
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- Competition in sports and energy drinks intensifies
- Global beverage brands invest in probiotic drinks
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- Figure 16: Product example of fermented drink products, US 2016-17
- Consumers’ growing demands and higher standards
- The potentially stricter regulation on functional drinks
Key Players – What You Need to Know
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- Monster enters China; Red Bull faces uncertainty
- More clean sports drinks
- Room to diversify flavours
Competitive Strategies
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- Mizone launches taurine-infused drinks
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- Figure 17: Mizone’s Mi Pro, China 2017
- Monster enters China
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- Figure 18: Product example of Monster Beverages’ innovation in the global market, China, US and Turkey 2015-17
- Red Bull’s uncertainty in China
- Uni-President Food sells off Jianlibao
Who’s Innovating?
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- More clean and on-the-go sports drinks
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- Figure 19: Top 10 claims on sports drinks*, China 2014-16
- Figure 20: Product example of sports drinks featuring plant-based ingredients, China 2016-17
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- Figure 21: Product example of sports drinks designed for on-the-go, China and US 2016
- Room to diversify the flavour
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- Figure 22: Top 10 flavours of sports drinks, China 2014-16
- Figure 23: Top 10 flavours of energy drinks*, China 2014-16
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- Figure 24: Product example of acai-flavoured energy drinks
- Leading sports drink brands becoming organic
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- Figure 25: Product example of organic sports drinks. US 2016-17
- Functional CSD (Carbonated Soft Drinks)
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- Figure 26: Coca-Cola Plus and Monster’s Mutant, Japan and US 2016
- Red Bull’s VR pack
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- Figure 27: Red Bull’s VR package, Brazil 2016
The Consumer – What You Need to Know
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- Gaining energy is the most popular need
- Looking for energy drinks designed for women
- Concern about caffeine but not taurine
Interested Health Benefits
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- Gaining energy is the most popular need
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- Figure 28: Health benefits in drinks that consumers are interested in buying, January 2017
- Consumers aged 25-39 have greater interest in stress relief
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- Figure 29: Product example of stress relief drink, US 2016
- Younger consumers have need for vision-aiding functions
- Most consumers do not buy into the anti-haze claim
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- Figure 30: Jin Sang Zi foods’ herbal tea, China 2016
- Males have more diverse range of needs; females focus on beauty
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- Figure 31: Health benefits in drinks that consumers are interested in buying, by gender, January 2017
Consumption Frequency
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- Sports drinks enjoy the heaviest consumption
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- Figure 32: Consumption frequency of different functional drinks, January 2017
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- Figure 33: Product example of functional drinks in a more portable format
- Functional RTD tea has good potential to grow
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- Figure 34: Product example of functional tea, US, Singapore, and Japan 2016-17
- Vitamin water see opportunity among female consumers
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- Figure 35: Product example of flavoured water with probiotics in China, 2016-17
- Room to increase penetration of enzyme drinks and vinegar drinks
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- Figure 36: Product example of enzyme drinks in China, 2016-17
Perception of Different Types of Drinks
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- Mizone outperforms Gatorade as a sports drink
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- Figure 37: Correspondence Analysis – Perception of different types of drinks in the market, January 2016
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- Figure 38: Attributes associated with different types of drinks in the market, January 2017
- Few are aware of Red Bull’s high vitamin content
- Vitamin Water can be more ‘natural’; Hai Zhi Yan can improve its taste
- Coconut water has not yet entered the exercise occasion
Usage and Attitudes
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- Looking for energy drinks designed for women
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- Figure 39: Consumers’ usage and attitudes towards energy drinks, January 2017
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- Figure 40: Product example of tea/coffee-infused energy drinks, US, 2016
- Heavy users drink sports drinks even when not exercising
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- Figure 41: Consumers’ usage and attitudes towards sports drinks, January 2017
- Sophisticated users want to know more about the ingredients
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- Figure 42: Consumers’ usage and attitudes towards functional drinks, January 2017
Attitudes towards Functional Ingredients
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- Concern about caffeine but not taurine
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- Figure 43: Consumers' attitudes towards the functional ingredients, January 2017.
- Open to plant-based energy ingredients
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- Figure 44: Product example of energy drinks featuring plant-based active ingredients, China, UK, US
- Explaining ingredient functions can make them more welcomed
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- Figure 45: Baby’s face and body cream from Pai Skincare, UK 2016
Interested in Energy Drink Innovations
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- Consumers want low-calorie energy drinks without artificial sweeteners
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- Figure 46: Energy drink innovations consumers are interested in, January 2017
- Figure 47: Product example of energy drinks that use natural sweeteners other than sugar. US 2016-17
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- Figure 48: Product examples of energy drinks with fruit juice, US 2011-16
- Organic energy drinks may be a missing opportunity in China
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- Figure 49: Percentage of organic energy drinks, Global 2014-16
- Male consumers like TCM-based energy
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- Figure 50: Highlighted energy drink innovations consumers are interested in, by gender, January 2017
Meet the Mintropolitans
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- Greater consumption of functional drinks
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- Figure 51: Heavy users* of different functional drinks, by consumers classification, January 2017
- Demand for cleaner functional drinks
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- Figure 52: Selected consumers’ usage and attitudes towards energy drinks, by consumer classification, January 2017
- Higher interest in various ingredients
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- Figure 53: Consumers who would like to see the following ingredients in their drinks, by consumers classification, January 2017
Appendix – Methodology and Abbreviations
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- Methodology
- Abbreviations
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