Table of Contents
Overview
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- What you need to know
- Covered in this Report
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- Figure 1: Definition of low/mid/high MHI groups, by city tier
Executive Summary
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- The market
- A market yet to recover
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- Figure 2: Total China chocolate market retail value, 2012-22
- Figure 3: Total China chocolate market retail volume, 2012-22
- Tablet is the largest segment but decreasing
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- Figure 4: Segment percentage in the chocolate retail market, by value, 2016
- Companies and brands
- Mainstream brands losing out to premium brands
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- Figure 5: Retail market share of chocolate market in China, 2015-16
- The consumer
- Plain chocolate for self-use; assorted for gifting
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- Figure 6: Type of chocolates bought for self/family or gifting, March 2017
- Imported products more often used for gifting
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- Figure 7: Chocolate purchase channels for self/family or gifting, March 2017
- Mood enhancement is the primary purpose
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- Figure 8: Chocolate purchase purposes in the last six months, self-use-related, March 2017
- Chocolate could be healthy
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- Figure 9: General attitudes towards chocolate, March 2017
- Individually-wrapped more popular than chocolate blocks
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- Figure 10: General attitudes towards chocolate, March 2017
- Healthy comes before premium
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- Figure 11: Favourable changes in the chocolate category, product-related, March 2017
- Most consumers would not change their usage
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- Figure 12: Self-evaluated change of chocolate consumption in the next 12 months, March 2017
- Mintropolitans are eating more and will keep up the consumption
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- Figure 13: Type of chocolates bought for self/family, by consumer classification, March 2017
- Figure 14: Self-evaluated change of chocolate consumption in the next 12 months, by consumer classification, March 2017
- What we think
Issues and Insights
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- Chocolate snackification to increase consumption
- The facts
- The implications
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- Figure 15: Product example of chocolate coated snack nuts, South Africa, Hong Kong, and Canada
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- Figure 16: Product example of chocolate coated dried fruits, UK, US, and Germany
- Figure 17: Product example of chocolate thin products, South Korea, Singapore, and Germany
- Position cocoa beans in a similar way as coffee beans
- The facts
- The implications
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- Figure 18: G from Godiva
- Figure 19: Meiji’s The chocolate bar and Nestlé’s Les Retables de l'Atelier
- Personalisation makes chocolate a better gift
- The facts
- The implications
The Market – What You Need to Know
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- Decrease slows down
- Innovation slowed down between 2015 and 2016
- Decreasing cocoa bean price
Market Size and Forecast
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- Decrease slows down
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- Figure 20: Retail market size of chocolate in China, 2012-17 (est)
- Figure 21: Total China chocolate market retail value, 2012-22
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- Figure 22: Total China chocolate market retail volume, 2012-22
Market Factors
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- Innovation slowed down between 2015 and 2016
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- Figure 23: Percentage of China’s chocolate product in global chocolate market
- Figure 24: Launch type of chocolate products, China 2014-17 (till April)
- Decreasing cocoa bean price
- Product premiumisation
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- Figure 25: Average price of chocolate product launched in China, 2013-17
- Rising awareness of childhood obesity
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- Figure 26: Product example of children-targeting chocolate products, US and Germany 2015-16
Market Segmentation
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- Tablet is the largest segment but decreasing
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- Figure 27: Segment percentage in the chocolate retail market, by value, 2016
- Figure 28: Market retail value of tablet chocolate in China, 2012-22
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- Figure 29: Market retail value of individually wrapped chocolate in China, 2012-22
- Non-individually wrapped chocolate pieces are more promising
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- Figure 30: Market retail value of non-individually wrapped chocolate in China, 2012-22
Key Players – What You Need to Know
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- Mainstream brands losing to premium brands
- Mondelez introduced Milka to China
- Room for more ethical claims and flavour expansions
Market Share
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- Mars and Hershey were losing
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- Figure 31: Retail market share of chocolate market in China, 2015-16
- Premium brands winning
- Threat from e-commerce
Competitive Strategies
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- Mondelez introduced Milka to China
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- Figure 32: Product example of Milka’s chocolate products, Germany, Italy, and France 2015-16
- International players localised production in China
- Clean label commitment from the major players
- Hollygee took over Jin Di chocolate
Who’s Innovating?
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- Rise of products featuring social media, seasonal and child-targeting claims
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- Figure 33: Product example of Kinder’s chocolate egg, China 2016
- Figure 34: Top 10 chocolate product claims, China 2014-17 (April)
- Room for more ethical claims
- Scope to diversify the flavours
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- Figure 35: Top 10 chocolate flavours, China 2014-17 (April)
- Figure 36: Mars’ white chocolate product line, China 2016
- Chocolate with health benefits
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- Figure 37: Product example of chocolate with health benefits
The Consumer – What You Need to Know
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- Most consumers would not change their future usage
- Chocolate could be healthy
- Mood enhancement is the primary purpose
- Mintropolitans shop more online
Chocolate Usage
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- More for self-use than for gifting
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- Figure 38: Usage of chocolate, March 2017
- Plain for self-use
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- Figure 39: Type of chocolates bought for self/family or gifting, March 2017
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- Figure 40: Type of chocolates bought for self/family, by region, March 2017
- Males are the target
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- Figure 41: Type of chocolates bought for self/family or gifting, by gender, March 2017
- Purchase channels
- Buy self-use chocolate at supermarkets
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- Figure 42: Chocolate purchase channels for self/family or gifting, March 2017
- Imported products more often used for gifting
- Unconsciously consuming less
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- Figure 43: Chocolate purchase channels for self/family, January 2015 and March 2017
- Figure 44: Chocolate purchase channels for gifting, January 2015 and March 2017
Purchase Purpose
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- Mood enhancement is the primary purpose
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- Figure 45: Chocolate purchase purposes in the last six months, self-use-related, March 2017
- More commonly used as a gift in China
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- Figure 46: Chocolate purchase purposes in the last six months, gifting-related, March 2017
- Individually-wrapped for gifting; block for self-use
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- Figure 47: Chocolate purchase purposes in the last six months, gifting-related, March 2017
General Attitudes
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- Chocolate could be healthy
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- Figure 48: General attitudes towards chocolate, March 2017
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- Figure 49: General attitudes towards chocolate, March 2017
- VFM chocolate is more mainstream than premium chocolate
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- Figure 50: General attitudes towards chocolate, March 2017
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- Figure 51: General attitudes towards chocolate, March 2017
- Familiar flavours outperform seasonal-limited flavours
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- Figure 52: General attitudes towards chocolate, March 2017
- Individually-wrapped more popular than chocolate blocks
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- Figure 53: General attitudes towards chocolate, March 2017
- Commonly read the labels
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- Figure 54: General attitudes towards chocolate, March 2017
Favourable Changes
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- Healthy comes before premium
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- Figure 55: Favourable changes in the chocolate category, product-related, March 2017
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- Figure 56: Product example of chocolate with healthy inclusions, US and Austria 2016
- Room to improve the convenience of eating
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- Figure 57: Favourable changes in the chocolate category, package-related, March 2017
- Figure 58: Percentage of chocolate products in a flexible stand-up pouch, global 2014-17 (till April)
Future Consumption
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- Most consumers would not change their usage
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- Figure 59: Self-evaluated change of chocolate consumption in the next 12 months, March 2017
- Sugar and fat does not really stop people from eating
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- Figure 60: Favourable changes in the chocolate category, by consumer classification of their future usage, March 2017
Meet the Mintropolitans
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- Already eating more and will keep up the consumption
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- Figure 61: Type of chocolates bought for self/family, by consumer classification, March 2017
- Figure 62: Self-evaluated change of chocolate consumption in the next 12 months, by consumer classification, March 2017
- Wider usage occasions and more careful with their purchase
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- Figure 63: Chocolate purchase purposes in the last six months, by consumer classification, March 2017
- Interested in delicate packaging and wider range of flavours and inclusions
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- Figure 64: Favourable changes in the chocolate category, by consumer classification, March 2017
Appendix – Market Size and Forecast
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- Figure 65: China chocolate market value and volume, 2012-22
- Figure 66: China chocolate market value, by segment 2012-22
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Appendix – Methodology and Abbreviations
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- Methodology
- Fan chart forecast
- Abbreviations
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