Table of Contents
Executive Summary
-
- The market
- Growing consciousness of healthy diets
- Restrictions on sugar and salt intake
- Companies and brands
- Help consumers make quick and wise decisions
- Satisfy consumers’ desire for eating green and healthily
- The consumer
- Increasing consumption frequency of Western light meals
-
- Figure 2: Light meals and consumption frequency, China, November 2018
- Not filling enough and lack of taste stumbling blocks to some consumers’ consumption
-
- Figure 3: Purchase barriers, China, November 2018
- Develop workday lunch and non-workday dinner occasions in foodservice
-
- Figure 4: Consumption occasions and purchasing channels, China, November 2018
- In lower tier cities consumers spend more on light meals
-
- Figure 5: Price preference, by city tier, China, November 2018
- Containing at least three ingredients to reach most consumers
-
- Figure 6: Purchase triggers – ingredients, China, November 2018
- Healthy soft drinks are appealing in meal sets
-
- Figure 7: Interest in light meal sets, China, November 2018
- What we think
Issues and Insights
-
- Running light meal businesses in potential tier two cities
- The facts
- The implications
- Need for filling and tasty sides brings opportunity for bakery houses
- The facts
- The implications
-
- Figure 8: Light meals from Zeroll bakery, China
- Functional soft drinks encourage consumers to buy light meal sets
- The facts
- The implications
-
- Figure 9: Light meal combos with drinks, China
-
- Figure 10: Drinkable salad juice, by Drink Bottle, China, 2018
The Market – What You Need to Know
-
- Increasing health consciousness stimulates light meal market growth
- Regulations bring possibilities to the light meal market
Market Drivers
-
- Raising health consciousness
- Worldwide salt reduction strategy
Key Players – What You Need to Know
-
- Highlighting meal functions to save decision time
- Helping consumers make a wise choice
- Fast casual brands start doing green meals
Competitive Strategies
-
- Clear descriptions on menus
-
- Figure 11: Detailed meal introductions on menu, China
- Provide subscription services
-
- Figure 12: Subscription service – one week light meal plan, by VeGGet, China
- Connecting healthy food with healthy lifestyle
-
- Figure 13: Wagas Run, China, 2018
- Help consumers manage nutrition intake
-
- Figure 14: Showing food calories and decoding food nutrition
Who’s Innovating?
-
- Traditional fast casual chain restaurants step into light meal market
-
- Figure 15: In-store ambience and light meals, K PRO, China
- Figure 16: In-store ambience and light meals, Take a Green Break, China
- Educate consumers by making food interesting
-
- Figure 17: Connection between food colour and nutrition, by Sexy Salad
The Consumer – What You Need to Know
-
- Sandwiches and salads can be promoted better using strategies
- Focus on workday lunch and non-workday dinner
- Diverse ingredients in one meal can attract more consumers
Consumption Frequency
-
- “Low-key” congee has become an explosion
-
- Figure 18: Light meals and consumption frequency, China, November 2018
- Sandwich businesses target big families
-
- Figure 19: consumption frequency of sandwich, by family structure, China, November 2018
- Develop boiled dishes in the South but salad in the North and East
-
- Figure 20: Heavy users’ consumption of salad and boiled vegetables, by regions, China, November 2018
Purchase Barriers
-
- Consumers hesitating because light salads not filling enough
-
- Figure 21: Purchase barriers, China, November 2018
- Enrich light meal taste
- Salad differentiation by borrowing ideas from traditional Chinese meals
-
- Figure 22: Different salads from different regions, Russia, Lebanon and Indonesia
Consumption Occasions and Purchasing Channels
-
- Offer different selections for the C-store breakfast occasion
-
- Figure 23: Heavy users’ light meal consumption preference, by selected consumption occasions, China, November 2018
- Focus on developing workday lunch
-
- Figure 24: Consumption occasions and purchasing channels, China, November 2018
- Non-workday dinner delivery targets 20-24s and big families
Spending power
-
- Target higher earners and big families for premiumisation
-
- Figure 25: Average spend on one light meal, China, November 2018
- Target the light meal market in lower tier cities
-
- Figure 26: Spend amount, by city tier, China, November 2018
- RMB31-50 light meals in food delivery is competitive in certain occasions
-
- Figure 27: Selected consumption occasions of RMB31-50 light meal spenders, by consumption channels, China, November 2018
Purchase Triggers
-
- Light meals with three different ingredients will attract most consumers
-
- Figure 28: Purchase triggers – ingredients, China, November 2018
- Consumers from different city tiers have different focuses
-
- Figure 29: Difference in purchase triggers – features between tier one and lower tier cities (as benchmark), China, November 2018
-
- Figure 30: Tier one city consumers who chose nutrition balanced and lower tier city consumers who chose low in calories, by regions, China, November 2018
- Consumers are getting more rational on promotions
-
- Figure 31: Purchase triggers – promotions, China, November 2018
Interest in Light Meal Sets
-
- Soft drinks with nutrition supplement are favoured
-
- Figure 32: Interests in light meal sets, China, November 2018
- Offering hunger filling meal sets to mitigate purchase barriers
- Consider consumers’ family structure when introducing light meal sets
-
- Figure 33: Selected interest in light meal sets, by family structure, China, November 2018
Meet the Mintropolitans
-
- Mintropolitans have light meals more often
-
- Figure 34: Light meals and heavy users of Mintropolitan and non-Mintropolitan, China, November 2018
- Different purchase triggers for MinTs
-
- Figure 35: Purchase triggers – ingredients of buying a light meal, by consumers classification, China, November 2018
- Offer probiotic drinks and low-calorie smoothies for Mintropolitans
-
- Figure 36: Difference of interests in light meal sets between Mintropoilitans and non-Mintropolitans (as benchmark), China, November 2018
Appendix – Methodology and Abbreviations
-
- Methodology
- Abbreviations
Back to top