A box of 10 yuan, 20 yuan at every turn...you can't afford instant noodles too?

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　　Editor's note:

　　This is the People's Livelihood Investigation Bureau, which has never seen people's livelihood.

Follow what you want to follow and what you didn't follow, and investigate what you want to see and haven't seen.

　　Chinanews client, Beijing, October 18th (Reporter Xie Yiguan) In your impression, how much does a pack of instant noodles cost?

1 Yuan?

3 yuan?

5 yuan?

　　With Express Soda Noodle Restaurant, Manhan Banquet, Jiwei Restaurant, Ramen Talk, Jinniantang, Fresh Noodle Chuan, etc., the price of 10 yuan or 20 yuan, which is comparable to the price of physical store ramen, has made many netizens shout: Is instant noodles still the "it" I know?

The instant noodle section of a supermarket in Beijing.

Photo by Xie Yiguan

10 yuan, 20 yuan... the more expensive instant noodles are sold

　　Whether it’s veteran players such as Master Kong and Uni-President, or new forces such as Ramen Talk and Jinniantang, the high-end and ultra-high-end fast-food track has been crowded with entrants in recent years. Recently, Baixiang Foods has launched "Fresh Noodles" to let this The track is more crowded.

　　Speaking of "Fresh Noodles", many people may think of "Ramen Talk" for the first time. After all, these two names sound like "teaching from the same door."

　　In fact, the ramen that often appears in Li Jiaqi's live broadcast can be regarded as a representative of the emerging power of instant noodles.

　　Ramen said was established in 2016, and immediately positioned itself as "the first mass-produced one-stop semi-finished fresh and fast-cooked Japanese-style ramen on the Chinese market". With strong marketing, Ramen said its sales of 250 million yuan in 2019 , Sold more than 16 million packs of ramen.

　　In Ramen Sai’s official flagship store, the price of a box of optional packages is 19.9 yuan, with signature pork bone barbecued pork and other flavors to choose from. The monthly sales volume reaches 100,000+, and the price of three boxes is between 43.9 yuan and 57.9 yuan. , The price of different flavors is slightly different, and the monthly sales volume shows 80,000+.

　　It is also an emerging brand. The price of Jinniantang products is more expensive. The price of two boxes of Sichuan-style beef slicing noodles is 50.8 yuan, but the sales volume is unambiguous, with monthly sales reaching 5000+.

　　On the high-end and ultra-high-end fast food track, established instant noodle companies are not to be outdone, and the price is also not low.

　　At the end of 2018, Master Kong launched the high-end product Express Soda Noodles, 4 boxes of fragrant large beef instant noodles reached 69.9 yuan, and 6 boxes of private house braised Sichuan spicy beef noodles reached 139.9 yuan.

　　Uni-President launched the upgraded version of "Ji Wei Guan" of Tang Da Ren, with a price of 59.9 yuan for the full box of 6 cups; the price of "Man and Han Banquet" series is "a higher level", 2 bowls of 39.8 yuan, "Man Han Banquet" bone 6 bowls of char siu noodle soup for 179 yuan

The screenshot is from the official flagship store of Uni-President.

"Pictures are for reference only" to "What you see is what you get"

　　Seeing this, you may be wondering, why are instant noodles so expensive?

　　To a large extent it is because "you get what you pay for."

Take the well-known 2.5 yuan a bag of Master Kong's braised beef noodle and the 19.9 yuan a box of ramen, the signature pork bone ramen for comparison.

　　In addition to the noodles in Master Kong beef noodles, they are all familiar ingredients, sauces, and noodles. Ramen said that there are handmade fresh noodles, pork bone soup, char siu pork, miso bamboo shoots, Japanese fungus shreds, and red. Ginger slices, dried white sesame seeds, FD freeze-dried green onion, East Sea Nori.

The screenshot is from the official flagship store of Ramen Say.

　　Compared with the “pictures are for reference only,” Mr. Kang's beef noodles, which was ridiculed by netizens as “cannot kill a cow in a year”, ramen said that the “what you see is what you get” including other high-end instant noodles is naturally “genuine at a fair price.

　　Some netizens commented, "As a fast food, it has real ingredients, vegetables and meat, and the shelf life is only 60 days. It is a must-have artifact for the kitchen novice."

　　At the same time, the increase in the selling price of instant noodles is also due to the increase in raw material prices, increased marketing and packaging efforts, and the development of new flavors.

　　Unlike the previous instant noodles that were mostly advertised on TV, now instant noodles have embarked on the road of "net celebrity" marketing.

Some netizens said that they planted ramen noodles from Xiaohongshu and said that they knew Jinbawang from Douyin.

"It's not your peers, but the era that defeats you"

　　When low-cost fast food no longer has a fatal appeal to people, the "high-end wind" of instant noodles is also the result of the brand's survival.

　　Once instant noodles were firmly in the position of "national food", it was usually too late to cook. A pack of instant noodles solved the problem. When going out to school, traveling, and working, instant noodles are the best "travel partner".

　　The peak period of the industry was 2013, when instant noodle sales reached 46.22 billion copies. However, the culmination of the glory was the beginning of the decline, and then instant noodle sales fell year after year, dropping to 38.52 billion copies in 2016.

　　"It's not your peers, it's the era that beats you." This sentence is true when applied to instant noodles.

　　With the consumption upgrade, people began to pursue a healthy lifestyle. Many people classified instant noodles as unhealthy food, and the classic taste of instant noodles in bags was also rejected by many people as “changing forever”.

　　High-speed rail and airplane travel are popular, the time spent on the journey is getting shorter and shorter, and the demand for instant noodles is weakening.

Fresh, fast and affordable takeaways are gradually "cannibalizing" the instant noodle market.

　　The "Analysis of Factors Affecting Consumption in the Instant Noodle Market" issued by the School of Economics and Management of China University of Geosciences pointed out that for every 1% increase in the scale of domestic and foreign sales markets, the consumption of instant noodles will decrease by 0.0533%.

IiMedia's consulting report shows that from 2011 to 2016, the scale of China's food delivery market increased from 21.68 billion yuan to 166.24 billion yuan.

Data map: "Are you hungry?" The delivery staff is picking up meals.

Zhang Yunshe

　　How to "break through"?

Instant noodle companies have entered the race track of products ranging between ordinary instant noodles and take-out prices at RMB 10-20, emphasizing "healthy", short shelf life, and "what you see is what you get" instant noodles appear in people's vision.

High-end strategy is the magic weapon to win?

　　In the past few years, the saying that "instant noodles are dead" has been rampant, and now high-end strategies have brought the instant noodle industry back to life.

　　China's instant noodle market sales gradually rebounded after reaching the bottom in 2016.

According to Nielsen data, in the first half of 2020, the overall sales volume of the instant noodle industry increased by 5.6% year-on-year, and sales increased by 11.5% year-on-year.

　　"The reason for the recovery of China's instant noodle market is the simultaneous upgrade, innovation and iteration of the product side and the consumer side." Food industry analyst Zhu Danpeng told Chinanews.com. It can be seen that some high-priced instant noodles are favored and sought after by the consumer side.

This also shows that there is no shortage of consumers in the entire Chinese instant noodle market, but good products.

　　But the high-end strategy is really the magic weapon to win?

Because not everyone is willing to pay for the high-priced instant noodles.

Some netizens said, "With this money, is it not good for me to go to a noodle shop to eat a bowl of ramen?" "Traditional instant noodles are cheap and save time. High-priced instant noodles are not so delicious and cost-effective."

In a convenience store in Beijing, fast food products such as Ramen Shuo are on display.

Photo by Xie Yiguan

　　The reporter visited some supermarkets randomly. Compared with traditional instant noodles, which occupy the whole row of shelves, there are very few high-priced instant noodles on display, and most of them are noodles and fried noodles. Some small community supermarkets are even harder to find, and you can see them in convenience stores. Few exhibitions.

　　Some consumers also claim that if they are at home, they buy more regular instant noodles in five-packs, and they will not buy too expensive instant noodles.

　　It is also worth noting that as more and more players enter the game, some "pseudo high-end" products with vain prices begin to appear.

　　"Many people think that high-end products mean high prices, but does high-price equal high-end? No. With the increasing demand for quality among Chinese people, high-end products must be reflected in quality, food materials, and services. Development can be long-lasting." Zhu Danpeng pointed out.

　　Have you eaten instant noodles recently?

How much did you buy?

(Finish)